Blog: Herb Kelleher, co-founder of Southwest Airlines, dies at 87 – Los Angeles Times

Over the years, Kelleher’s larger-than-life image and Southwest’s rapid growth made the CEO and the airline inseparable in the public eye. In 1999, when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, investors and analysts pressed Southwest for a succession plan. After eight weeks of radiation treatment, he proclaimed himself fit, though he wasn’t giving up cigarettes.