Burt's Bees Co-Founder Dies of Respiratory Complications

Burt Shavitz, co-founder of Burt's Bees natural cosmetics, died yesterday at age 80.

According to USA Today, Shavitz died Sunday of respiratory complications, surrounded by friends and family.

His story is pretty cool! He was living in Maine, supporting himself by selling his bees' honey, when he met a hitchhiker named Roxanne Quimby. By chance, they fell in love. She began making products from his beeswax in the 1980s, and they became partners.

As the business grew, Quimby moved the company to North Carolina in 1994, but Shavitz moved back to Maine, saying he was forced out after having an affair with an employee.

However, he received an undisclosed settlement, 37 acres in a remote part of Maine, and continued to make appearances on behalf of Burt's Bees, which was sold to Clorox in 2007 for $925 million.

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