Email inventor, Ray Tomlinson, dead at age 74

The inventor of modern email, with its characteristic '@' symbol, has died in the United States.

Tomlinson, the inventor of modern email and selector of the "@" symbol, has died. (AAP) Source: AAP

Ray Tomlinson, the inventor of modern email, has died.

Raytheon Co, his employer, confirmed his death on Sunday with no details immediately available.

Email existed in a limited capacity before Tomlinson in that electronic messages could be shared amid multiple people within a limited framework.

But until his invention in 1971 of the first network person-to-person email there was no way to send something to a specific person at a specific address.

Tomlinson chose the "@" ("at") symbol to connect the username with the destination address and it has now become a cultural icon.

While he was a holder of numerous awards and other accolades, co-workers say he was humble and modest. And, surprisingly, not a frequent checker of email.