James “Buster” Corley, a co-founder of the Dave & Buster’s restaurant chain, has died. He was 72. Corley’s death was discovered on Monday at his Dallas home, according to WFAA. He allegedly shot himself in the head before passing away, according to authorities.
“Buster Corley had a stroke four months ago that seriously injured the communication and personality part of his brain,” claims Corley’s daughter Kate. The family is asking for privacy at this time.
Corley and David Corriveau established Dave & Buster’s in Dallas in 1982. The two men were running separate businesses next to one another in Little Rock, Arkansas: Buster oversaw a restaurant, and Dave oversaw an arcade.
What if the two men worked together, they wondered. They had observed numerous customers switching between the shops. Corriveau flipped a coin and decided to put his name first.
In the 151 sites around the United States and two in Canada since Corley and Corriveau initially debuted their concept in Dallas.
The two shared leadership of the business from 1982 to 1989, when they sold it to the giant of the retail industry Edison Brothers. To manage its creation, they nevertheless kept their positions on the board. Dave & Buster’s is still one of the biggest “entertainment” companies in the US.
Corriveau passed away in 2015 at the age of 63.
Buster’s “passion for hospitality, desire for quality, and the great concern he had for his team members were unequaled,” the group said in a statement to TMZ. The legacy he and Dave built endures, the statement added, “but we will miss his wise counsel and easy chuckle. Our hearts go out to his family during this terrible time.”
