Fandango Founder Dead After Jumping From 20th Floor Of NYC Hotel

 Michael Cline, founder of the popular movie ticketing service Fandango, has died from an apparent suicide after falling from a luxury New York City hotel on Tuesday morning.

Cline, 64, reportedly jumped from the 20th floor of the Kimberly Hotel. 

“Upon arrival, officers found an unconscious and unresponsive male with injuries indicative of a fall from an elevated position. The investigation remains ongoing,” NYPD said in a statement, per Variety.

Law enforcement listed Cline’s address as being in Palm Beach, Florida, noting that he had purchased the property there in 2020 for $21 million. He is survived by a wife and six children, per The New York Post. The outlet also reported that Cline left a suicide note.

His death came as a shock to his friends and family and occurred just days after he underwent gallbladder surgery, sources said.

Cline founded Fandango with Art Levitt in 2000 and remained with the company until 2011. Fandango partnered with seven major movie theater chains, including Loews Cineplex Entertainment, Regal Cinemas, Carmike Cinemas, Cinemark Theaters, General Cinema Theaters, Edwards Theatres, and Century Theatres, to create an online service that made advance ticket sales easier.

“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 when the site launched. The exec also called it “an instantly recognizable and distinctive name that sets us apart in our industry.” 

Fandango was one of three major online advance movie ticket sale sites, along with MovieTickets.com and Atom Tickets. The company bought MovieTickets.com in 2017.

Fandango was acquired and expanded several times over the years, starting with an acquisition by Comcast in 2007. 

The outlet noted that Cline went on to head up other tech and venture capital firms after leaving Fandango, including hedge fund Bridgewater Associates. He also founded Accumen, Insureon, and Accolade through his Accretive company. These entities also invested in Fandango.

Cline graduated from Cornell University and earned an MBA from Harvard University. A recent Fordham University article described him as a “serial entrepreneur” who encouraged students to “work with people you trust.”