James Michael Cline, founder of the movie ticketing app Fandango, has died after falling 20 stories to his death from a Midtown Manhattan hotel.
The incident took place Tuesday, with authorities later releasing the identity of the body Wednesday according to the New York Daily News. He died from an apparent suicide.
"Upon arrival, officers found an unconscious and unresponsive male with injuries indicative of a fall from an elevated position. The investigation remains ongoing," the New York Police Department told Variety in a statement.
The NYPD stated that James Michael Cline, 64, lived in Palm Beach, Florida. Records from the real estate market indicate he purchased a $21 million property there in 2020.
Law enforcement sources told TMZ that he left a suicide note in his room that read, "So sorry. I can’t explain the pain of [expletive] up this much. I love you all.”
After leaving Fandango, Cline ventured into several tech and venture capital firms, including Bridgewater Associates. He founded companies such Accumen, Insureon, and Accolade through his firm Accretive, which also invested in Fandango. Most recently, he served as executive chair at Juxtapose, a business incubator that helped launch companies such as Orchard, Tend, Earned, Great Jones, and Nectar.
Cline's only venture into the entertainment industry was co-founding Fandango with Art Levitt.
Together, they partnered with seven major movie theater chains — Loews Cineplex Entertainment, Regal Cinemas, Carmike Cinemas, Cinemark Theaters, General Cinema Theaters, Edwards Theatres, and Century Theatres — to simplify the process of buying advance movie tickets online for moviegoers.
Fandango was acquired by Comcast in 2007.
Cline graduated from Cornell University and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. He recently served as chair of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
He is survived by his wife Pamela and several children.
Anyone struggling with mental health is advised to call or text 988, or talk with a professional at 988lifeline.org.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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