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James Michael Cline, the chief financial officer who founded the Fandango movie ticketing service in 2000 and remained with the company until 2011, died Tuesday morning of an apparent suicide in Manhattan after jumping from the 20th floor of the Kimberly Hotel. He was 64.
The NYPD said in a statement that officers arrived at the hotel on 50th Street at 10:19 a.m. “Upon arrival, officers found an unconscious and unresponsive man with injuries consistent with a fall from a high position. The investigation is ongoing.”
According to New York police, Cline’s address was Palm Beach, Florida, and real estate records show he bought a $21 million property there in 2020.
After leaving Fandango, Cline led several technology and venture capital firms, including hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, and founded companies such as Accumen, Insureon and Accolade through his Accretive company, which had also invested in Fandango. He was executive chairman of the business incubator Juxtapose at the time, helping launch companies such as Orchard, Tend, Earned, Great Jones and Nectar.
His sole entertainment venture, Cline, founded Fandango with Art Levitt and partnered with seven movie theater chains — Loews Cineplex Entertainment, Regal Cinemas, Carmike Cinemas, Cinemark Theaters, General Cinema Theaters, Edwards Theatres and Century Theatres — to create the online service that made buying advance tickets easy for moviegoers.
“A Fandango is fast and fun. Fandango is the perfect match for a service designed to make going to the movies easier and more fun than ever before,” Cline said Variety at launch. It is “an instantly recognizable and distinctive name that sets us apart in our industry,” he added.
Fandango was acquired by Comcast in 2007, and Cline’s LinkedIn page says his relationship with the company ended in 2011. Fandango did not respond to request for comment.
Cline graduated from Cornell U. and received an MBA from Harvard Business School. He was chairman of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
He is survived by his wife Pamela and several children.