Former YouTube CEO and Silicon Valley trailblazer Susan Wojcicki has died at age 56

Former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, who was also one of the most influential early Google employees, has died at the age of 56 according to posts shared online by her husband Dennis Troper and Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Friday night.

Wojicki led YouTube for nearly ten years and was one of the only women to hold the CEO role at a big tech company in Silicon Valley.

Wojcicki's husband Dennis Troper wrote on Facebook early Friday night, "It is with profound sadness that I share the news of Susan Wojcicki passing. My beloved wife of 26 years and mother to our five children left us today after 2 years of living with non-small cell lung cancer."

Pichai confirmed the death and cancer condition in a post on social media Friday, writing that he was "unbelievably saddened" by the loss.

In a note sent to employees, Pichai described Wojcicki as "one of the most active and vibrant people I have ever met. Her loss is devastating for all of us who know and love her, for the thousands of Googlers she led over the years, and for millions of people all over the world who looked up to her, benefited from her advocacy and leadership, and felt the impact of the incredible things she created at Google, YouTube, and beyond.

"Susan's journey, from the garage she rented to Larry and Sergey … to leading teams across consumer products and building our Ads business … to becoming the CEO of YouTube, one of the world's most significant platforms, is inspiring by any measure. But she didn't stop there. As one of the earliest Googlers -- and the first to take maternity leave -- Susan used her position to build a better workplace for everyone. And in the years that followed, her advocacy around parental leave set a new standard for businesses everywhere.