The architect of the Chicago Bulls' six NBA titles has died.

Jerry Krause, the team's general manager from 1985 to 2003, died Tuesday at the age of 77.

A native of Chicago, Krause was twice the National Basketball Association's Executive of the Year as his Bulls - led by Michael Jordan - claimed titles in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998.

“The entire Bulls organization is deeply saddened by the passing of Jerry Krause,” said Bulls owner and chairman Jerry Reinsdorf in a statement.  “Jerry was one of the hardest working guys I have ever been around, and he was one of the best talent evaluators ever. Jerry played an integral role in our run of six championships in eight years. He truly was the architect of all our great teams in the ’90s. I would not have been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame if it were not for Jerry. We will miss him tremendously, and we send our thoughts and prayers to his wife Thelma and the Krause family.”

Responsible for the drafting of Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant the acquisitions of Toni Kukoc, Ron Harper, Dennis Rodman and more, Krause had a notoriously fractured relationship with Bulls coach Phil Jackson. Though close friends with Jackson throughout his playing days and early years in coaching, they had a falling out during Jackson's tenure as Bulls coach.

“I owe a lot to Jerry. If it weren’t for him bringing me to Chicago in 1985, I probably never would have been a Bull,” said former player and current vice president John Paxson in a statement. “He had a great eye for talent, and his ability to build a team is unrivaled. He’s one of the best the league has ever seen. We’re keeping Thelma and his family in our thoughts and prayers.”

Krause got started in basketball as a scout for the Baltimore Bullets and later took jobs with the Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers and then the Bulls. He left basketball and joined the Chicago White Sox as a scout. It was with the White Sox where Krause was offered the Bulls' GM gig from Reinsdorf, the White Sox owner who had recently purchased the Bulls.

After leaving the Bulls, Krause returned to baseball with scouting jobs for both the New York Yankees and New York Mets. His most recent hiring was a special assistant to the scouting department of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2011.