In January 2001, Japanese businessman and Sega president Isao Okawa returned his entire Sega stake and donated stock in related companies, a package worth about $695 million, to keep Sega from bankruptcy. He also forgave Sega's debts to him as the company abandoned the loss-making Dreamcast, a decision expected to cost it 80 billion yen. The rescue helped Sega survive its shift from console hardware to third-party game development. Okawa died of heart failure in March 2001, at age 74, after suffering from cancer.
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