Fandango founder identified as man who fell to death from New York City hotel

By CNN Newsource

Published July 18, 2024 2:48 PM

By Ramishah Maruf and Mark Morales, CNN

New York (CNN) — J. Michael Cline, the founder of movie ticket company Fandango, fell to his death from a New York City hotel Tuesday, a law enforcement official confirmed to CNN.

The New York Police Department said that around 10 am on Tuesday, the 64-year-old was found with injuries indicating he fell from an elevated height from The Kimberly Hotel, a luxury boutique hotel in midtown Manhattan. Investigators believe he jumped from the 20th floor of the hotel. He was declared dead soon after by emergency medical services.

Cline founded Fandango in 1999 and stayed until 2011, according to LinkedIn. The ticket company is now owned by NBCUniversal.

At the time of his death, Cline was a founding and managing partner at private equity firm Accretive and executive chairman at Juxtapose, a venture fund. He had also founded a number of other companies.

Cline served as chairman of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, where he wrote about the importance of conservation efforts in 2020.

Cline was married and the father of six children. He received his bachelors from Cornell University and MBA from Harvard Business School, according to an HBS alumni association site.

CNN has reached out to Fandango for comment.