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James Michael Klein Fandango The man, who launched the movie ticket sales service in 2000 and worked for the company until 2011, is believed to have committed suicide by jumping from the 20th floor of Manhattan’s Kimberly Hotel on Tuesday morning. He was 64 years old.
In a statement, the NYPD said officers responded to the hotel on 50th Street at 10:19 a.m. “Upon arrival, they found an unconscious and unresponsive male with injuries consistent with a fall from a great height. The investigation is ongoing.”
The New York Police Department listed Klein’s address as Palm Beach, Florida, where real estate reports show he purchased a $21 million property in 2020.
After leaving Fandango, Klein ran several technology and venture capital firms, including the hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, and founded companies such as Acumen, Insuron and Accolade through his firm Accretive, which also invested in Fandango. He currently serves as executive chairman of Juxtapoz, a business incubator that has helped launch companies such as Orchard, Tend, Earned, Great Jones and Nectar.
As his sole entertainment venture, Klein founded Fandango with Art Levitt and partnered with seven movie theater chains — Loew’s Cineplex Entertainment, Regal Cinemas, Carmike Cinemas, Cinemark Theatres, General Cinema Theatres, Edwards Theatres and Century Theatres — to create an online service that makes it easy for moviegoers to purchase tickets in advance.
“Fandango is fast and fun, and it’s the perfect fit for a service designed to make going to the movies easier and more enjoyable than ever before,” Klein said. variety “It’s a distinctive name that is instantly recognisable and sets us apart in the industry,” he added.
Fandango was acquired by Comcast in 2007, and Klein’s LinkedIn page shows his affiliation with the company ended in 2011. Fandango did not respond to a request for comment.
Klein graduated from Cornell University and received an MBA from Harvard Business School, and served as president of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
He is survived by his wife, Pamela, and several children.
