James “Buster” Corley, co-founder of North American food and games chain Dave & Buster’s passed away on Monday. It was his 72nd birthday.
Getty Images
Law enforcement reportedly entered Corley’s Dallas, Texas home on Monday and found him with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound before transferring him to a nearby hospital.
“Buster Corley had a stroke four months ago that caused severe damage to the communication and personality part of his brain,” said Corley’s daughter, Kate Corley, in a statement. “The family asks for privacy during this time.”
After opening its first 40,000-square-foot location in Dallas in 1982, Dave & Buster’s grew to 140 locations in the U.S. plus two in Canada.
In the early 1980s, Corley was running a successful restaurant, while his future D&B business partner, David Corriveau, owned a popular entertainment and games facility. After realizing both of their individual establishments had similar clientele and were just doors away from each other, the duo joined forces.
Once they banded together, the two reportedly flipped a coin to decide whose name they would put first, and Dave & Buster’s was born.
Last year, the company completed an $835 million acquisition of Main Event, a food and games chain based in Plano, Texas.
“Buster’s passion for hospitality, his demand for excellence, and the deep care he had for his team members were unparalleled,” a representative for the company told TMZ. “Our hearts go out to his family at this difficult time and while we will miss his wise counsel and his easy laugh, the legacy he and Dave built endures.”
Dave & Busters was down around 9% in a one-year period as of Wednesday morning.
