Dave and Buster’s co-founder found dead on his 72nd birthday from apparent suicide
>
Dave and Buster co-founder James ‘Buster’ Coley is discovered dead on his 72nd birthday with ‘self-inflicted gunshot wounds’ at his Dallas home, four months after suffering ‘serious injury’ from a stroke.
- James ‘Buster’ Coley, 72, of Dallas, was found dead on his birthday Monday
- The Dallas Police Department found the businessman with “apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds.” He was transported to the hospital, where he later died.
- His daughter Kate, 34, said her father suffered a ‘stroke four months ago’
- The stroke ’caused severe damage to the communication and personality part of his brain’
- Coley founded Dave and Buster’s with David Corriveau, who died in 2015 at age 63.
<!–
<!–
<!–<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
The Dave and Buster co-founder was found dead inside his home on his 72nd birthday from “apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds.”
James ‘Buster’ Coley, of Dallas, was found inside his home near White Rock Lake on Monday.
The Dallas Police Department found him with “apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds” and rushed him to the hospital, where he later died.
Her daughter Kate, 34, told her WFAA that his father suffered a “stroke four months ago that caused severe damage to the communication and personality part of his brain.”
Pete Thornfield, a spokesman for Dave and Buster’s, told DailyMail.com in a statement on Tuesday that the co-founder was an “innovative and creative force”.
James ‘Buster’ Coley, 72, of Dallas, (right) was found inside his home near White Rock Lake Monday with ‘apparently self-inflicted gunshot wounds’
Coley co-founded Dave and Buster’s with David Corriveau (pictured together), who died in 2015 at age 63, in 1982
“Buster’s passion for hospitality, his demand for excellence and the deep care he took for his team members were unparalleled,” Thornfield said. “Our hearts go out to his family at this difficult time and while his wise counsel and easy laugh will be missed, the legacy he and Dave built lives on.”
Before his big success with Dave and Buster’s, Coley opened a restaurant in Little Rock, Arkansas, in the late 1970s, while his would-be co-founder, David Corriveau, who died in 2015 at age 63, opened a place entertainment a few doors down. below.
After the couple noticed many customer filters between their two establishments, they decided to join forces and create an arcade restaurant called Dave and Buster’s in 1982. The order of the name was decided based on a coin toss that Corriveau won.
They found a 40,000-square-foot warehouse just a few miles from Restaurant Row and opened their first store.
Since then, the company has opened more than 150 locations and recently acquired Main Event for $835 million.
Coley’s daughter Kate, 34, (left) said her father suffered a ‘stroke four months ago’ The stroke ’caused severe damage to the communication and personality part of his brain’ (Pictured: Kate , James and his wife Leacy)
Pete Thornfield, a spokesman for Dave and Buster’s, told DailyMail.com in a statement on Tuesday that the co-founder (pictured with his wife) was an “innovative and creative force”.