Considered "a patriarch" of the Spanish evangelical publishing industry, David Vila died Sept. 22 in his sleep after suffering a stroke three days earlier. He was 74.

Vila was the president and founder of the Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Spanish Evangelical Literature Fellowship (SELF), the distribution arm of Editorial Clie—the publishing house he founded with his family in Barcelona, Spain.

Spanish Evangelical Products Association (SEPA) and Editorial Unilit President David Ecklebarger said Vila was "a patriarch." "It was a true pleasure and honor to have worked by his side during the beginning of publishing and distribution of Spanish Christian literature in the Americas," he said. "David invested a lot of his time and money into the founding and preparation of Spanish Christian booksellers. All of us in the industry that have followed in his steps will be in his debt forever."

Jim Cook, vice president of international sales at B&H Publishing Group, added: "Vila was a visionary. His work, effort and dedication brought many to Christ. He influenced in a great way the rapid growth of the Christian literature industry during the years from 1970 to 1990. Without a doubt, David and all of his family were pioneers. He taught me a lot."

SELF and Editorial Clie are charter members of SEPA. With more than 2,500 titles published, Editorial Clie is considered one of the largest publishers of Spanish Christian books, company officials said.