James “Buster” Corley, who co-founded Dave & Buster’s, has died.
He was 72.
via NYDN:
Corley was found dead Monday at his home in Dallas, local ABC affiliate WFAA reported. He died from an “apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound,” police said.
“Buster Corley had a stroke four months ago that caused severe damage to the communication and personality part of his brain,” Corley’s daughter Kate told WFAA. “The family asks for privacy during this time.”
Corley founded Dave & Buster’s alongside David Corriveau in Dallas in 1982. The two men were operating separate businesses — Buster a restaurant, Dave an arcade — near each other in Little Rock, Ark.
After noticing more than a few customers traveling back and forth between the establishments, the two men had an idea: What if they combined forces? Corriveau won a coin toss to put his name first.
Corley and Corriveau brought their idea to Dallas and it has since spread nationwide, with 151 locations in the U.S. and two in Canada.
The duo served as co-CEOs from 1982 to 1989, when they sold the business to retail conglomerate Edison Brothers. But they stayed on as board members to keep an eye on their brainchild. Dave & Buster’s remains one of the largest “eatertainment” companies in the U.S.
Corriveau died in 2015 at age 63.
“Buster’s passion for hospitality, his demand for excellence, and the deep care he had for his team members were unparalleled,” 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.”
RIP.
