DALLAS — James W. Corley, one of the co-founders of Dave & Buster’s, died this week on his 72nd birthday.
Corley was the “Buster” of the restaurant and entertainment business, which opened its first location in 1982 in Dallas and now has more than 140 across the U.S. The company moved its headquarters from Dallas to Coppell, Texas, last year.
Shortly before 7 p.m. Monday, officers were called to Corley’s home near White Rock Lake, online police records show. The Dallas County medical examiner’s office said Corley was pronounced dead at a hospital later that day.
Officers found Corley with an “apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound,” WFAA-TV (Channel 8) reported. Dallas police did not respond to a request for additional information.
His death is still under investigation, according to the medical examiner’s office, and his cause of death was not available Tuesday evening.
Corley’s daughter, Kate Corley, told WFAA her father had a stroke four months ago and that the incident caused “severe damage to the communication and personality part of his brain.” She said the family is asking for privacy.
Dave and Buster’s praised Corley’s dedication to the business, its employees and its guests.
“His pioneering spirit and steadfast belief that ‘everybody is somebody’ set the foundation for bringing food and games to millions of Dave & Buster’s guests over the past 40 years,” a company spokesperson told WFAA.
The company’s other co-founder, David Corriveau, died in 2015.
Corley, or “Buster” had a restaurant in the late 1970s, according to the company’s website. Corriveau opened a business a few doors down that featured entertainment and games for adults. The two co-founders got the idea for Dave & Buster’s when they saw patrons going to both of their businesses, according to the website.
They eventually started the first Dave & Buster’s in 1982 out of a 40,000 square-foot warehouse. The two had a coin toss to decide whose name would be mentioned first in the company’s official name, the website stated.
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