"It's with incredible shock and sadness that I'm letting our friends and family know that my amazing brother, Dave Goldberg, beloved husband of Sheryl Sandberg, father of two wonderful children, and son of Paula Goldberg, passed away suddenly last night," Goldberg writes.
In lieu of donations, Goldberg asks those who knew Dave to post their memories and pictures of him to his Facebook profile.
Goldberg had been CEO of SurveyMonkey since 2009, as part of an epic career, full of ups-and-downs, during which the media company he founded got acquired by Yahoo right after the internet bubble burst in the early 2000s.
"Dave's genius, courage and leadership were overshadowed only by his compassion, friendship and heart," the company says in a statement. "His greatest love was for his family. Our sympathy goes out to them and to all who were touched by this extraordinary man. We are all heartbroken."
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg commemorated the loss on his own profile: "Dave Goldberg was an amazing person and I am glad I got to know him. My thoughts and prayers are with Sheryl and her family. I hope friends will join me in celebrating his life by sharing your memories of Dave on his profile, as his brother Rob suggests."
There has also been an outpouring of sympathy and support from other members of the tech community, where Goldberg was a beloved figure:
Devastated to hear about loss of @davegoldberg. One of kindest & most generous friends I've known. My heart goes out to Sheryl & his family
- Jeff Weiner (@jeffweiner) May 2, 2015
So saddened and shocked to learn that @davegoldberg passed away suddenly. One of the nicest and kindest human beings I know
- mikeeisenberg (@mikeeisenberg) May 2, 2015
One of the things I admired most about @davegoldberg was his ability to balance being a husband and father with his work.
- Chris Yeh (@chrisyeh) May 2, 2015
Shocked & devastated to learn of @davegoldberg's passing. What a terrible loss for his family and the world. https://t.co/ccIjTWoPw1
- Mo Koyfman (@mokoyfman) May 2, 2015
Wow, so sad to hear @davegoldberg has passed away. Thoughts are with @sherylsandberg and family. I didn't know him, but he inspired me.
- Chad Byers (@chadbyers) May 2, 2015