Milton Glaser, the graphic designer of the iconic “I love New York” logo has died.

Glaser, a native New Yorker, passed away after suffering a stroke on Friday, which was his 91st birthday. His wife, Shirley who confirmed the death to the New York Times, also disclosed that her husband had renal failure. 

The Bronx native came up with the I Love NY logo consisting of black letters and a red heart on a white background on behalf of the state of New York in the 1970s. He actually drew the design on the back of an envelope in red crayon while on a taxi cab ride in 1976 to promote tourism in the state of New York including New York City.

The logo, which has been in use since 1977, became prominent after the September 11 attacks in 2001, by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda against the United States. The attacks resulted in 2,977 fatalities, over 25,000 injuries, and substantial long-term health consequences, in addition to at least $10 billion in infrastructure and property damage.

At that time, the logo was updated to read ‘I Love NY More than Ever’ and was shown with a small bruise on the heart.