J. Michael Cline, a founding investor and former chairman of online ticketing service Fandango, died Tuesday after falling from a high-rise hotel window in midtown Manhattan.
THE The New York Post The NYPD was the first to receive the news. The NYPD confirmed to Deadline that a man of that name and age, 64, fell from the Kimberly Hotel at 145 East 50th. He reportedly committed suicide and left a note.
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Cline was a managing partner at Accretive, which funds startups, and executive chairman of Juxtapose, which has a similar mission but specializes in building consumer-focused businesses, according to the companies’ social media and websites.
Before starting Accretive, Cline was a founding investor in Fandango in 2000 as a partner at General Atlantic. Early employees of the ticketing service that Deadline spoke to today called him a key part of the new company’s launch, negotiating deals with theater chains, including Regal and Cinemark, that didn’t yet use online listings to join the site. He wanted Fandango to compete with the then-800-pound gorilla, Moviefone, the ubiquitous phone-listing service founded in 1989.
A former colleague said Cline was “creative and made sure exhibitors had enough opportunities to make it meaningful to them.” He called Cline generous and philanthropic, donating large sums to environmental causes like the World Wildlife Fund.
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Other companies he founded include R1 RCM, Accolade, Insureon, Everspring and Accumen.
Cline and others sold their stake in Fandango in 2007, selling a majority stake to NBCUniversal, which still owns it. Warner Bros. Discovery is a minority investor.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
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