(CBSDFW.COM/CNN) – Texas Roadhouse founder and CEO Kent Taylor died Thursday, according to a post on the restaurant chain’s Facebook page. He was 65 years old.
“Our community and the catering industry lost a legend and the Taylor family lost a wonderful son, father and grandfather this week,” a joint statement from the Taylor family and Texas Roadhouse sent to CNN on Saturday said.
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The statement indicates that Taylor died by suicide after a battle with post-COVID-related symptoms, including severe or audible tinnitus in the ear, and that his suffering had increased in recent days.
Taylor had funded a clinical study to help army members suffering from tinnitus, according to the statement.
Founder and CEO of Texas Roadhouse, Kent Taylor (credit: Texas Roadhouse)
“Kent leaves an unparalleled legacy as the first leader of the people, which is why he often said that Texas Roadhouse was a company of people who had just served the steaks,” the statement said.
“It has changed the lives of hundreds of millions of employees and guests over the last 28 years.”
Texas Roadhouse is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer tweeted Thursday that the city “had lost a much-loved and unique citizen.”
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“Kent’s kind and generous spirit was his constant driving force, either to calmly help a friend or to build one of the great American companies at @texasroadhouse,” Fisher wrote. “He was a non-conformist businessman who embodied the values of never giving up and putting others first. My deepest condolences to Kent’s family and many, many friends. “
Taylor waived his salary from March 2020 to January 2021 and donated funds to help front-line restaurant employees during the pandemic, CNN subsidiary WAVE reported.
A post on Facebook on Friday said: “We will miss you, Kent. Thanks to you and your Texas Roadhouse dream, we can say we love our jobs every day. ”The post used a heart emoji instead of the word love.
Taylor came up with the idea that it would later become Texas Roadhouse in a cocktail napkin, according to the family statement.
Texas Roadhouse first opened in 1993, according to the company’s website, and has more than 600 locations in the United States and 10 restaurants in foreign countries. There are 15 locations in the North Texas area.
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