The heartbreaking suicide note left by a tycoon and father of six before jumping to his death on Tuesday morning has been revealed.
J. Michael Cline, the 64-year-old co-founder of movie ticket company Fandango, jumped from the Kimberly Hotel Tuesday morning and landed on the third floor of a courtyard.
Cline appeared to be in turmoil as he left a note in a 20th-floor room at the luxury hotel in Midtown Manhattan on East 50th Street, near Lexington Avenue.
“I’m so sorry. I can’t explain the pain of screwing up like this. I love you all,” Cline wrote before jumping.
The suicide occurred just days after he underwent gallbladder surgery.
J. Michael Cline, the 64-year-old co-founder of the movie ticket company Fandango, jumped from the Kimberly Hotel Tuesday morning and landed in a third-floor courtyard
Cline jumped from the 20th floor of the hotel and landed in a courtyard on the third floor
Cline’s company, which he founded in 2000, has struggled during the pandemic, with movie theaters forced to close or enforce restrictions on attendance for nearly two years.
Cline was also a “serial entrepreneur” and managing partner at startup financing firm Accretive.
His wealth allowed him to own several homes worth millions of dollars in the Hamptons on Long Island (New York), Greenwich (Connecticut) and Palm Beach (Florida).
One of the homes is a $20.75 million lakefront mansion he bought in December 2020 during the pandemic, the Daily news from Palm Beach.
Cline’s body was recovered from a hotel courtyard and taken away by the New York Medical Examiner
Cline also served on the board of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Fandango has struggled in recent years as moviegoers have been virtually non-existent due to the pandemic.
The company tried to focus on streaming, but reported a profit loss in 2023.
Art Levitt, who co-founded Fandango with Cline, remembered him as brilliant, creative and loyal, and as someone who persevered even through “tough” times.
He described his former business partner as “a bit of an adventurer.”
Levitt said he “saw an opportunity in the market” with Fandango and asked Levitt to lead the company.
Cline, who was married to his wife Pamela for nearly 30 years, graduated from Cornell University and earned an MBA from Harvard University.
Cline, who was married to his wife Pamela for nearly 30 years, graduated from Cornell University and earned an MBA from Harvard University
A body bag with Cline in it is wheeled onto the sidewalk Tuesday
His career began in the early 1980s, when he started a company importing hand warmers from Japan.
“The business failed,” he wrote on his LinkedIn page when describing the company “Penguin Warmers.”
“I had no idea what I was doing. I really did,” he wrote.
In a profile of Fordham Universityhe was described as a ‘serial entrepreneur’ and as someone who ‘helped and inspired students’.
Cline is seen participating in a discussion with business students at Fordham University
Cline also sat as the executive chairman of Juxtapose, another firm specializing in financing startups that are building a number of technology companies in sectors ranging from health and wellness to real estate management.
He was also a philanthropist and recently served as chairman of the board of directors of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
If you or someone you know needs assistance, please contact Samaritans NYC at 212-673-3000 or the Trevor Lifeline at 1-866-488-7386.
For confidential help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or click here.