James “Buster” Corley, the co-founder of the popular “eatertainment” chain Dave & Buster’s, died Monday. He was 72.
Corley’s daughter confirmed his death, which occurred on his 72nd birthday.
“Buster Corley had a stroke four months ago that caused severe damage to the communication and personality part of his brain,” his daughter, Kate Corley, told WFAA-TV in Dallas in a statement. “The family asks for privacy during this time.”
Corley and his business partner David Corriveau initially had independent businesses: Corley a restaurant and Corriveau an adult-focused entertainment business.
The duo partnered up a few years later, the company says, and opened their first restaurant/arcade in Dallas in 1982.
The pair settled the order of their names in the eponymous business with a coin toss. Dave won, and Dave & Buster’s was born. The company now has more than 140 locations across the U.S.
A representative of the company said the chain would miss “his wise counsel and his easy laugh, the legacy he and Dave built endures.”
“Buster’s passion for hospitality, his demand for excellence, and the deep care he had for his team members were unparalleled,” the representative told TMZ. “Our hearts go out to his family at this difficult time.”
The cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. His body was found at his home near White Rock Lake in Dallas, according to The Dallas Morning News.
