Co-Founder Of Dave and Busters Dies At 72
Back in 1982, David “Dave” Corriveau and James “Buster” Corley opened the very first Dave & Busters location. That first location was located in Dallas, Texas, but it was far from their last location. They went on to open about 140 more locations. There might be one near you.
The business is a merger of Corriveau and Corley’s previous businesses. Corriveau owned an arcade, and Corley owned a restaurant. Combining the two resulted in a new business where customers could enjoy a restaurant-style meal and play arcade games at the same location.
Corriveau died in 2015 at the age of 63. Now, Corley has died too. He was 72 years old.
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According to Corley’s daughter, Kate Corley, four months ago, her father had a stroke that ended up impacting the area of his brain that is associated with personality. After the stroke, he had trouble communicating.
Four months later, on Monday January 2, 2023, Corley died by what the police believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It was his 72nd birthday.
Kate Corley doesn’t want her father to be remembered for his apparent suicide. Instead, she wants her father’s legacy to be the successful business he created. She describes her dad as “someone who cared about people, full of life, charismatic.” She loved having him as her dad. She explained, “Having him as a dad was epic. I got to see personally how many people he helped and an industry he created. He treated everyone the same, everyone mattered to him no matter who it was. The first thing he did when he retired was thank his wife and always said he could not have done it without her. He is a legend and the coolest person on Earth.”
A representative for Dave & Busters told WFAA, “His pioneering spirit and steadfast belief that ‘everybody is somebody’ set the foundation for bringing food and games to millions of Dave & Buster’s guests over the past 40 years.” The representative added, “Buster’s passion for hospitality, his demand for excellence, and the deep care he had for his team members were unparalleled.”
