“Our community and the restaurant industry lost a legend and the Taylor family lost a wonderful son, father and grandfather this week,” said a joint statement from the Taylor and Texas Roadhouse family sent to CNN on Saturday.
The statement said Taylor died of suicide after a battle with Covid-19-related symptoms, including severe ringing or ringing in the ear, and that his suffering has increased in recent days.
Taylor funded a clinical study to help military personnel suffering from tinnitus, the statement said.
“Kent leaves an unparalleled legacy as a leader who prioritizes people, which is why he always said that Texas Roadhouse was a company of people who happened to serve steaks,” the statement said.
“It has changed the lives of hundreds of millions of employees and guests over the past 28 years.”
“Kent’s kind and generous spirit was his constant driving force, whether he was helping a friend discreetly or building one of America’s big companies in @texasroadhouse,” Fisher wrote. “He was an independent entrepreneur who embodied the values of never giving up and putting others first. My deepest condolences to Kent’s family and many, many friends.”
Taylor came up with the idea that it would later become Texas Roadhouse on a napkin, the family statement said.
The Texas Roadhouse opened in 1933, according to the company’s website, and has more than 600 locations in the United States and 10 restaurants in foreign countries.