J Michael Cline death: Fandango founder dies aged 64 after fall from New York hotel

Fandango founder J Michael Cline has been identified as the man who died after falling from the 20th floor of a New York City hotel on Tuesday (July 16). He was 64.

Cline, the finance executive responsible for creating the popular movie ticketing and streaming service, was reportedly found unconscious and unresponsive in one of the third-floor courtyards of the Kimberly Hotel on 145 East 50th St.

“Upon arrival, officers found an unconscious and unresponsive male with injuries indicative of a fall from an elevated position. The investigation remains ongoing,” the New York Police Department said in a statement, according to Variety .

Cline graduated from Cornell University in 1981 with an entrepreneurial degree in hotel administration. He later earned his MBA in 1985 from Harvard Business School.

In 1999, he founded Fandango. “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 at its launch. It’s “an instantly recognizable and distinctive name that sets us apart in our industry,” he said.

The entrepreneur eventually cashed out of the company in 2007, selling a majority stake to NBCUniversal, which still owns it. Warner Bros Discovery is also a minority investor in Fandango.

He is also responsible for establishing numerous other companies, including R1 RCM, Accolade, Insureon, Everspring and Accumen.

At the time of his death, Cline was working as an executive chairman at Juxtapose, a venture capital fund he joined in 2018, according to his LinkedIn page. He was also the founder of Stealth Mode Startup Company, the founding and managing partner of Accretive and a board member of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

A former colleague of Cline remembered him as being “creative” and somebody who “made sure the exhibitors had enough of an opportunity so it made sense for them,” Deadline reported. He added that “Cline was generous and philanthropic, donating significant sums to environmental causes like the World Wildlife Fund.”

Cline is survived by his wife, Pamela, and their six children.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.