Larry Tesler, the scientist who invented the cut, copy and paste function has died. Tesler played an instrumental role in introducing the three important commands to the world.

Tesler started off his career in the ’60s as a programmer and Stanford AI researcher before joining Xerox in 1973. It was here that Tesler invented the three commands that have grown to be a fundamental function for anyone who uses a computer today.

Xerox took to Twitter to pay tribute to Tesler. They wrote: “The inventor of cut/copy & paste, find & replace, and more, was former Xerox researcher Larry Tesler. Your workday is easier thanks to his revolutionary ideas.”

Tesler’s contribution to the world of computer technology went much beyond cut, cop and paste. He joined Apple in 1980 and was an instrumental figure during the rise of the Californian tech giant. In 1986, he became VP of advanced technology at Apple, and in 1993, he was promoted to VP and chief scientist. At his time in Apple, he managed R&D and contributed to the Apple Lisa, Macintosh, HyperCard, MacApp, QuickTime, AppleScript, and more.