J. Michael Cline, the visionary entrepreneur who co-founded Fandango and revolutionized movie ticket purchasing, has died at the age of 64 after plunging from the twentieth floor of a luxury hotel. According to TMZ, a suicide note has been found.
The New York Times reports that J. Michael Cline, a prominent figure in the tech and entertainment industry, passed away last week in Manhattan. New York City police confirmed that Cline fell from the twentieth floor of the Kimberly Hotel on Tuesday.
The incident, reported via a 911 call, resulted in officers finding Cline “unconscious and unresponsive with injuries indicative of a fall from an elevated position.” TMZ reports that a suicide note has been found. Cline’s career was marked by significant achievements, most notably the co-founding of Fandango in 2000.
The online ticketing company, recognizable by its orange “F” logo shaped like a ticket stub, transformed the way Americans approached movie-going. Cline, who remained with the company until 2011, saw an opportunity in the market and capitalized on it. The company’s name, as Cline explained to Variety , was chosen because “A Fandango is fast and fun,” reflecting the service’s aim to make movie attendance “easier and more enjoyable than ever before.
” Fandango’s business model proved successful, handling ticketing for major theater chains and generating revenue through processing fees for online ticket sales and advertising on its platform. The company�.