The man who jumped to his death from a luxury hotel in Midtown Manhattan this week has been identified as the affluent co-founder of the movie ticket company Fandango. He was also a philanthropist known for supporting tiger conservation efforts, according to sources and law enforcement officials on Wednesday.
J. Michael Cline, a 64-year-old "serial entrepreneur" and father of six from Greenwich, Connecticut, leaped from the 20th floor of The Kimberly Hotel and landed in a third-floor courtyard on Tuesday morning, according to law enforcement sources. Cline left what appeared to be a suicide note before jumping from the building on East 50th Street near Lexington Avenue, the sources said.
Struggling Business Leads to Suicide
The contents of the note were not immediately revealed on Wednesday. His death shocked those who knew him and comes just days after he had undergone gallbladder surgery, sources reported.
Cline was also a managing partner at the startup investment firm Accretive.
Cline's business faced challenges during the pandemic, which forced movie theaters to close or limit audience capacity for nearly two years.
Cline's wealth allowed him to own multiple multi-million-dollar homes in the Hamptons on New York's Long Island, Greenwich, Connecticut, and Palm Beach, Florida.
Among his properties is a $20.75 million lakefront mansion that he bought in December 2020, during the pandemic, according to the Palm Beach Daily News.
In recent years, Fandango struggled as movie theater attendance was virtually nonexistent during the pandemic.
The company tried to shift its focus to streaming but reported a loss in profits in 2023.
Death of a Troubled Tycoon
Cline graduated from Cornell University and earned an MBA from Harvard University. A recent article from Fordham University described him as a "serial entrepreneur" who inspired students to dream big and "work with people you trust."
Cline served as chairman of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, where he supported conservation efforts for animals worldwide, sources say.
He was also the executive chairman of Juxtapose, a company that specializes in funding start-ups that create consumer-focused businesses, according to his online resume.
According to Harvard's alumni website, Cline founded the tech solutions company R1 RCM, the small business insurance firm Insureon, and the education solutions company Everspring.
He married his wife, Pamela, in 1995, as reported in a New York Times wedding announcement.
Police have launched and investigation into Cline's death and the contents of the suicide note are yet to be revealed.
