The grieving wife and co-worker of Brian Thompson, the CEO of major insurance company UnitedHealthcare who was recently assassinated after a barrage of death threats, spoke out hours after the fatal shooting this morning.

“We are devastated to hear of the senseless murder of our beloved Brian,” Paulette Thompson wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Brian was an incredibly loving, generous and talented man who truly lived life to the fullest and touched so many lives.”

“More importantly, Brian was an incredibly loving father to our two sons and we miss him very much,” she continued. “We appreciate your well wishes and ask for complete privacy as our family navigates this difficult time.”

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In a video sent to the healthcare company’s employees and obtained by Fox Business, Andrew Witty, CEO of parent company UnitedHealth Group, said Thompson was “a truly extraordinary individual who touched the lives of countless people across our organization and far beyond.” touched”.

“It is a terrible tragedy and I know we are in shock and disbelief,” Witty said. “Our hearts go out to his family… Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers and know that we will be there for them. I hope you all do the same for each other now as we all grieve together during this terrible time.”

Thompson is survived by his wife, Paulette “Pauley” Thompson, 51, and their two children. According to Daily Mail, they lived together in the family’s $1.5 million home in Maple Grove, Minnesota.

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The company canceled the remainder of its investor day following the incident.

“We are dealing with a very serious medical situation with one of our team members and therefore I am concerned that we will have to end the event today,” Witty said.

Fox Business previously reported that Thompson had recently received death threats.

“There were some threats,” Thompson’s wife told NBC News. “Basically I don’t know, a lack of (health) insurance? I don’t know any details. All I know is that he said there were some people who threatened him.”

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She added that police had indicated it appeared to be a “planned attack,” telling NBC: “I can’t really give a thoughtful answer at the moment. I just found this out and I’m trying to comfort my kids.”

According to the New York Police Department, Thompson was shot in the chest at 6:46 a.m. outside the Hilton Hotel on 6th Avenue and taken to Mount Sinai West Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.

A search is currently underway for the suspect. The NYPD is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

In two surveillance photos released by the agency, the shooter, wearing a hoodie covering his face, can be seen pointing a gun outside the hotel and then fleeing on a bicycle.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the suspect fled on an electric Citi bike that had a GPS system and was last seen in Central Park on Center Drive.

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Citi Bike is a subsidiary of ride-sharing company Lyft. A Lyft spokesperson told FOX Business, “We stand ready to assist law enforcement with this investigation.”

FOX Business’ Eric Revell, Danielle Wallace and Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.