Fandango Founder James Michael Cline Dead at 64

Cline reportedly died after falling from the 20th floor of a New York hotel.

By Adam Barnhardt

J. Michael Cline, the tech entrepreneur behind Fandango, has died. According to a report from Variety, Cline was found dead of an apparent suicide after falling from the 20th story of The Kimberly Hotel in Manhattan. Cline was found after first responders were called to the hotel around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. He was 64.

"Upon arrival, officers found an unconscious and unresponsive male with injuries indicative of a fall from an elevated position. The investigation remains ongoing," NYPD officials said in a statement obtained by the trade. Since then, he served as executive director of a start-up incubator, helping fund 

Cline, once a finance executive, founded Fandango in 2000 and quickly transformed it into the top ticket-selling website for theaters. He then sold the website to Comcast around 2007 and left the company the same year.

"A Fandango is fast and fun. Fandango is the perfect match to a service designed to make going to the movies easier and more enjoyable than ever before," Cline told Variety in 2000. "It's an instantly recognizable and distinctive name that sets us apart in our industry."

He's survived by his wife and six children.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "home" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org. A list of international suicide hotlines can be found here.

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