Hooters chairman found dead

[Ban Hammer 13,965]

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - Robert Brooks, the chairman of Hooters of America Inc. who made a fortune selling chicken wings served by scantily clad waitresses, was found dead at his home Sunday, officials said. He was 69.

It was unclear how Brooks died. The Horry County coroner's office told The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News that an autopsy would be performed Monday.

Several calls to the coroner's office by The Associated Press went unanswered.

Since opening its first store in Clearwater, Fla., in 1983, the chain has expanded across the U.S. and into more than a dozen countries ranging from Taiwan to Venezuela. Hooters has about 61 million annual visitors to its some 425 restaurants.

Brooks, born on a tobacco farm outside Loris near Myrtle Beach, founded Eastern Foods Inc., which makes dressings and sauces, in 1966.

With a group of Atlanta investors, Brooks bought expansion and franchise rights for the Hooters chain in 1984. He eventually bought majority control and became chairman.

Local leaders remembered Brooks as a sharp businessman with a down-home flair who never forgot where he came from.

"Whenever I saw him, the first question and usually the last question from him was, 'What can I do to help ya?'" said Brad Dean, president of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

He also shared his wealth, giving $2 million to Coastal Carolina University for its first football stadium, which was named Brooks Stadium in 2003.

[Peter Miami 1]

Very sad day, I love Hooters!

Peter Miami