Kent Taylor, the founder and chief executive of the Texas Roadhouse restaurant chain, died of suicide on Thursday after suffering from post-Covid-19 symptoms, the company and his family said in a statement. He was 65 years old.
“After a battle with post-Covid-related symptoms, including severe tinnitus, Kent Taylor committed suicide this week,” the statement said.
Mr Taylor struggled with the disease, but “the suffering that has intensified a lot in the past few days has become unbearable,” the statement said. He added that Taylor recently pledged to fund “a clinical study to help military personnel who also suffer from tinnitus”, which causes tinnitus and other noise in the ear.
His body was found in a field on his property near Louisville, Ky., The Kentucky State Police told The Louisville Courier Journal. State Police and Oldham County coroner did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Sunday.
Mr. Taylor, who was also the chairman of the company’s board of directors, founded Texas Roadhouse in 1993. He sought to create an “affordable, Texas-style” restaurant, but was declined more than 80 times when trying to find investors, according to the biography provided by the company.
Eventually, he raised $ 300,000 from three doctors from Elizabethtown, Ky., And sketched the first Texas Roadhouse project on a napkin for investors.
The first Texas Roadhouse opened in Clarksville, Indiana, in 1993. Three of the chain’s first five restaurants went bankrupt, but it opened 611 locations in 49 states and 28 international locations in 10 countries.
Until his death, Taylor served in the day-to-day operations of the Texas Roadhouse, the company said. He oversaw the menu decisions, selected the restaurant murals and personally chose the songs for the jukeboxes.
Kent Taylor was born on September 27, 1955. He grew up in Louisville and graduated from the University of North Carolina, where he received a scholarship, the company said.
He leaves his parents, Powell and Marilyn Taylor; their children, Michelle, Brittney and Max; and five grandchildren. He was married twice; Both marriages ended in divorce.
Greg Moore, the company’s chief executive officer, said in a statement that Taylor gave up his compensation package during the coronavirus pandemic to support frontline workers at the company.
Jerry Morgan, the company’s president, will succeed Taylor as chief executive. Texas Roadhouse will announce its next president at a later date, a company spokesman said.
Senator Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican and minority leader, said in a statement that Taylor “did not fit the mold of an important CEO”
“Kent built a billion dollar company with creativity, courage and a lot of daring risks,” said McConnell. “While the Texas Roadhouse extended around the globe, Kent maintained its heart and its headquarters in Louisville.”
If you are having suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK). You can find a list of additional resources at SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.