Complications from meningitis caused the death of Jerry Throgmartin, the executive chairman of HHGregg Inc., the family said in a paid obituary in The Indianapolis Star Wednesday.

Throgmartin died Sunday while visiting his Colorado ranch. He was 57. Company officials previously had declined to comment on the cause of death.

Meningitis is caused by a bacterial or viral infection that leads to inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms, such as a severe headache, come on quickly. Viral meningitis is rarely fatal. Bacterial meningitis, while rare, usually can be treated with antibiotics, but is fatal in about 15 percent of cases.

Throgmartin served as chairman and CEO of the Indianapolis-based company from 2003 to 2009, when he became executive chairman. Throgmartin's grandfather founded the company in 1955.

Under Throgmartin’s leadership, HHGregg grew from a local consumer electronics retailer into a national player with more than $2 billion in revenue.