Fandango Creator’s Shocking Leap Ends His Life in a New York Hotel Tragedy

Clear Facts

• Michael Cline, the founder of the movie ticket service Fandango, died Tuesday in an apparent suicide, jumping from the 20th floor of the Kimberly Hotel in NYC.
• Cline was 64 and resided in Palm Beach, Florida. He is survived by a wife and six children. His death occurred shortly after undergoing gallbladder surgery.
• Having founded Fandango in 2000 with Art Levitt, Cline was involved with the company until 2011. The entrepreneur also led various tech and venture capital firms and was associated with significant entities such as Bridgewater Associates, Accumen, Insureon, and Accolade.

Tuesday brought tragic news for the entertainment and entrepreneurial world, with the reported death of Michael Cline, the founder of the famous movie ticketing service Fandango. Cline, aged 64, took his own life by falling from a luxury hotel in New York City.

According to reports, Cline jumped from the 20th floor of the Kimberly Hotel. The NYPD statement noted, “Upon arrival, officers found an unconscious and unresponsive male with injuries indicative of a fall from an elevated position. The investigation remains ongoing.”

Authorities identified Cline’s address as Palm Beach, Florida, where records show he purchased a property in 2020 for $21 million. Reports indicate that Cline is survived by his wife and six children and he left behind a suicide note.

The sudden death of Cline shocked his friends and family. This tragic event took place just days after he had gallbladder surgery.

In 2000, Cline and Art Levitt founded Fandango, where Cline remained until 2011. The ticket service collaborated with seven leading movie theater chains to facilitate advanced online ticket sales.

Cline said at the launch of the site, “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,” He added that it was “an instantly recognizable and distinctive name that sets us apart in our industry.”

Fandango was one of the top three major online advanced movie ticket sale sites. In 2017, Fandango acquired MovieTickets.com. Comcast acquired Fandango in 2007, marking the beginning of several expansions of the company over the years.

After Fandango, Cline led other tech and venture capital firms, including the hedge fund Bridgewater Associates. Through his firm Accretive, he also founded Accumen, Insureon, and Accolade, which invested in Fandango.

A graduate of Cornell University with an MBA from Harvard University, Cline was described as a “serial entrepreneur” in a recent article. He was known to advocate that students “work with people you trust.”

Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Source