Police: Fandango founder J. Michael Cline identified as jumper who jumped to his death from a luxury hotel in New York

The jumper who plunged to his death from a luxury Midtown hotel this week is the wealthy co-founder of movie ticket company Fandango and a philanthropist who campaigned for tiger conservation, sources and law enforcement said Wednesday.

J. Michael Cline, a 64-year-old serial entrepreneur and father of six with a home in Greenwich, Connecticut, fell from the 20th floor of the Kimberly Hotel on Tuesday morning and landed in a third-floor courtyard, law enforcement sources said.

Cline, who was also managing partner of start-up financing firm Accretive, apparently left a suicide note before jumping from the building on East 50th Street near Lexington Avenue, the sources added.

The contents of the note were not yet known Wednesday. The cause of death was a shock to those who knew him and came just days after gallbladder surgery, sources said.

According to the Palm Beach Daily News, Cline owned multimillion-dollar homes in the Hamptons and Palm Beach, Florida, including a sprawling lakefront estate he purchased with his wife for $20.75 million in December 2020.

Although Cline severed ties with Fandango long ago, the company has struggled due to declining theater attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic, among other factors. The company reportedly tried to pivot to streaming, but parent company NBC-Universal’s profits in the category Fandango represents reportedly fell 40.8% in 2020.

Cline graduated from Cornell University and earned an MBA from Harvard University. A recent Fordham University article described him as a “serial entrepreneur” who inspired his students to dream big and “work with people you trust.”

According to sources, Cline served as chairman of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, where he advocated for the conservation of animals around the world.

According to an online resume, he also served as executive chairman of Juxtapose, which specializes in financing startups building consumer-focused businesses.

According to Harvard’s alumni website, Cline founded technology solutions company R1 RCM, as well as small business insurance company Insureon and education solutions company Everspring.

According to a New York Times wedding announcement, he married his wife Pamela in 1995.

Pamela Cline and Harvard University did not return calls from The Post on Wednesday.