Victor Conte, the mastermind of the notorious BALCO doping scandal that rocked athletics and baseball during the early 2000s, died Monday aged 75, a statement from his company said.

“We are heartbroken by the passing of our fearless leader,” Conte’s SNAC sports nutrition company announced in a statement on Twitter.

“Your memory will forever live in our hearts,” the post added, beneath a picture of Conte.

Conte was jailed for four months in 2005 for his role in the BALCO scandal which implicated baseball stars Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi and led to the downfall of Olympic track and field star Marion Jones.

Founded in 1984, Conte’s Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) would eventually become synonymous with doping in sports.

BALCO chemists developed a doping regime that combined mu

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