DALLAS (AP) — James “Buster” Corley, a co-founder of the restaurant and entertainment chain Dave & Buster’s, has died. He was 72.
Corley died Monday in a Dallas hospital after police were called to his home in the Texas city, according to his family and police. Dave & Buster’s announced Corley’s death in a statement on Twitter on Wednesday.
The Dave & Buster’s concept was born of Corley’s experience operating Buster’s Bar & Restaurant in Little Rock’s Union Station. It was next door to Dave Corriveau’s Slick Willy’s World of Entertainment, a 10,000-SF venue offering beer, pizza, billiards and video games, back when video games were a novelty.
The pair teamed up to open their first establishment offering dining and games in Dallas in 1982. The business has since grown to have scores of locations across the United States.
More: Click here to read about Dave & Buster’s Arkansas roots.
Police say officers responded to a shooting call at Corley’s home in east Dallas Monday and found a man with “an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound” who was taken to the hospital and later died. Police declined to name the victim in the shooting, citing a policy against identifying people who may have died by suicide.
Corley’s daughter, Kate Corley, confirmed his death to WFAA-TV but asked for privacy for her family. She told the broadcaster that Corley recently suffered a stroke that “caused severe damage to the communication and personality part of his brain.”
Corriveau died in 2015 at the age of 63.
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