James W. Near, chairman of Wendy's International Inc. and a longtime executive in the fast-food business, died of a heart attack in Atlanta, where he was attending the Olympic Games. He was 58.
Near was pronounced dead about 11:25 a.m. Monday at Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta, said Joe Morgan, investigator in the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office.Near had complained of chest pains and went to a first-aid station at his hotel. He died shortly afterward at the hospital.
"He was a great man and my best friend," Dave Thomas, founder and senior chairman of Columbus-based Wendy's, said in a statement. "He knew more about restaurants than anyone else I know. He loved the hustle and bustle of a busy restaurant, and his passion for the customers and employees was evident to everyone who met him. That will be his legacy. I'll miss him dearly."
Near was a native of Columbus, but he lived in Bonita Springs, Fla.