Life Network founder Juris Silkans has died, aged 70 years, at his home in Los Altos, California.

Silkans apparently died during a regular exercise session, according to a Globe and Mail newspaper death notice.

The former president of Atlantis Broadcasting began his career in the civil service in 1975 when he was named director of cable and new service policy for the Department of Communications in Ottawa.

He entered the Canadian cable industry in 1978 with CUC Broadcasting, and in 1994 joined Atlantis Communications as vice president of strategic planning.

A year later, he was named president of Atlantis Broadcasting, and launched Life Network and HGTV Canada.

He was inducted into the Canadian Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2000, and is survived by his wife, Barbara Adey.