LOUISVILLE, Ky. (NewsNation Now) — Kent Taylor, the CEO of the Texas Roadhouse restaurant chain, has died. He was 65. His family and the company says he took his own life after suffering from symptoms related to COVID-19, including severe tinnitus.
Taylor’s family and the company on Sunday confirmed his death in a statement.
Tinnitus is a common condition involving ringing or other noises in one or both ears. Experts say the coronavirus can exacerbate tinnitus problems.
“Kent battled and fought hard like the former track champion that he was, but the suffering that greatly intensified in recent days became unbearable,” the statement said.
Taylor recently committed to funding a clinical study to help military members suffering from tinnitus, the statement said.
“Kent leaves an unmatched legacy as a people-first leader, which is why he often said that Texas Roadhouse was a people company that just happened to serve steaks,” the statement said.
Texas Roadhouse confirmed the death in a Facebook post, writing, “We will miss you, Kent. Because of you and your dream of Texas Roadhouse, we get to say we [love] our jobs every day.”
From March 2020 through January 2021, Taylor gave up his salary and donated it to assist frontline restaurant workers during the pandemic, WAVE reports.
Taylor opened the first Texas Roadhouse restaurant in 1993 in Clarksville, Indiana, coming up with the idea on a cocktail napkin. It currently operates 610 restaurants in 49 states and 10 other countries. Texas Roadhouse is based in Taylor’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.
On Thursday, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer tweeted his condolences, saying the city had “lost a much loved and one-of-a-kind citizen.”
“(Kent) was a maverick entrepreneur who embodied the values of never giving up and putting others first. My deepest condolences to Kent’s family and many, many friends,” Fischer said.
Taylor, who died Thursday, is survived by his parents, Powell and Marilyn Taylor; three children and five grandchildren. Texas Roadhouse spokesman Travis Doster said a small private service is planned this week.
Read the Taylor family’s full statement below:
Our community and the restaurant industry lost a legend and the Taylor family lost a wonderful son, father and grandad this week.
After a battle with post-Covid related symptoms, including severe tinnitus, Kent Taylor took his own life this week. Kent battled and fought hard like the former track champion that he was, but the suffering that greatly intensified in recent days became unbearable.
But in true Kent fashion, he always found a silver lining to help others. Most recently, he committed to fund a clinical study to help members of the military who also suffer with tinnitus.
Kent leaves an unmatched legacy as a people-first leader, which is why he often said that Texas Roadhouse was a people company that just happened to serve steaks. He changed the lives of hundreds of millions of employees and guests over the past 28 years. He also impacted hundreds of thousands of people through his generous and often anonymous donations.
Kent famously created what would eventually become Texas Roadhouse on a cocktail napkin. He leaves behind a legendary company led by his hand-picked Leadership Team fueled by the passion of Roadies in communities around the world.
All who knew him will miss him greatly and Kent’s direction was always clear. Happy employees make happy guests.
We are saddened by the decision Kent felt he needed to make and want to emphasize more than ever the importance of reaching out for help if you or someone you love is suffering.
As Kent would so often say, “keep it legendary.”