Fandango founder J. Michael Cline dies of apparent suicide at New York City luxury hotel
The founder of the movie ticket company Fandango died after he fell from a New York City luxury hotel in an apparent suicide Tuesday, authorities say.
J. Michael Cline, 64, of Palm Beach, Florida, was found “unconscious and unresponsive” Tuesday morning.
New York City police were called shortly after 10 a.m. to the Kimberly Hotel at 145 East 50th St. in Manhattan, where they found Cline with injuries “indicative of a fall from an elevated position,” police said. He was pronounced dead at 10:30.
An investigation continues; police said that "no criminality is suspected."
The medical examiner's office did not immediately respond to a request for information about the cause and manner of death.
Cline was a serial entrepreneur. He founded Fandango in 2000 and left in 2011. The company is now owned by NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News.
According to his LinkedIn profile, he attended Cornell University and Harvard Business School. He founded the company Acumen, an outsourcer of lab operations for large hospitals, in 2010 and was chairman and director through 2017. He also founded Accolade, a vendor of health services for large employers and hospital systems, in 2007 and worked as founder and chairman through 2022.
He also founded and was the managing partner of Accretive, which funds start-up companies. Accretive did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cline further served as chairman of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. In a 2020 annual report, he spoke about his passion for the country’s wildlife, writing: “The importance of protecting conservation gains and sustaining momentum to protect wildlife and natural habitats cannot be overstated.”
Cline married his wife, Pamela, in 1995, according to a New York Times wedding announcement, and they share six children, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
