Bob Deyan, who grew his San Fernando Valley business into one of the largest independent audiobooks producers, died on Tuesday in Santa Monica from complications of ALS. He was 56.

Deyan and his wife, Debra, owned and operated Deyan Audio Services in Tarzana and the Deyan Institute of Voice Artistry and Technology, a school for voiceover artists in Chatsworth.

The Tarzana couple started the audio services business in 1990 to handle the casting, directing and recording of audiobooks for such publishers as Simon & Schuster, McGraw Hill and Penguin. Among the talent employed were Richard Dreyfuss, Tori Spelling and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

In 2013, Bob Deyan received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Audio Publisher’s Association, an industry trade group in Princeton Junction, N.J., for his contributions to the audiobook industry. That same year he was diagnosed with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

The Deyans founded the Deyan Institute of Voice Artistry and Technology in May 2014.

In addition to voiceover work, Deyan was experienced in television production, photography, and radio station operations. He was a graduate of California State University, Long Beach.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the ALS Association Golden West Chapter. In addition to wife Debra, survivors include his mother Elizabeth Deyan, and brothers Alex Deyan, Gordon Deyan and Jean-Pierre Deyirmendjian.