COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)

January 8, 2002 6:06 AM

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Dave Thomas, the portly pitchman whose homespun ads built Wendy's Old-Fashioned Hamburgers into one of the world's most successful fast-food franchises, has died. He was 69 ... The cause of death was not given.
posted by chrish (32 comments total)

What are you implying, chrish? One too many Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers?
posted by uftheory at 6:09 AM on January 8, 2002

now maybe wendy's can finally consider another ad campaign.
posted by corpse at 6:11 AM on January 8, 2002

Wow. Dave, an icon of Ohio's commercial might, is gone. I am going to have a spicy chicken sandwich today, in honor.
posted by insomnyuk at 6:14 AM on January 8, 2002

Damn! You beat me to it. Anyway, I like the attention he gave to hockey in his commercials, but they were gawd awful commercials at that. I second that spicy "chickin" meal.
posted by adampsyche at 6:15 AM on January 8, 2002

What are you implying, chrish? One too many Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers?

Well, he did have quadruple bypass surgery five years ago.

What I really want to say though, is that this guy deserves all the praise he gets due to his work with adopting children. It seemed to me that the man honestly loved kids, and I think he ended up adopting a ridiculous number of children into his own family. That was on top of all the other adopted children he helped out through the years.

_{He's the only person that I ever respected that had appeared on the 700 Club.}
posted by thewittyname at 6:17 AM on January 8, 2002

Meat is murder, or something.

But seriously, even though he built a corporate powerhouse around cruelty to animals, I always got a kick out of his television commercials. He was also a great humanitarian. So long, Dave, and thanks for all the baked potatoes.
posted by Smuj at 6:18 AM on January 8, 2002

As thewittyname said, he'd probably choose to be remembered for his work on behalf of kids looking for adoption.
posted by liam at 6:22 AM on January 8, 2002

Dave was an adopted child, and he did much to help promote adoption.

He cared about people, and he loved hockey. Beat me to it liam.
posted by insomnyuk at 6:23 AM on January 8, 2002

prediction... PETA is asinine enough to use this as a campaign, even if he didn't die from cardiovascular issues.
posted by machaus at 6:24 AM on January 8, 2002

This kind of freaks me out considering I blogged an (admittedly poor) flash thing called DDR Dave this morning at 6:30est and had no idea he was dead.
posted by revbrian at 6:50 AM on January 8, 2002

Sorry, folks. Can't join in the Dave-praise. I stopped eating Wendy's when they pulled their ads from the Ellen Degeneres show.
posted by dnash at 6:52 AM on January 8, 2002

Well she didn't like beef did she?

RIP Dave Thomas.
posted by Frasermoo at 7:00 AM on January 8, 2002

dnash - That's your right but they still have the best fast food out there.

Man, a triple with bacon and a side of chili&cheese really took the frost off you when it's in the teens outside.
posted by revbrian at 7:00 AM on January 8, 2002

Crosspost: The names "Dave" and "Elvis" share letters. This is certainly significant.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 7:04 AM on January 8, 2002

RIP. I'll miss his face on his ads. I knew a Wendy's owner and he only had good things to say about Dave. He was a good man.
posted by tomplus2 at 8:01 AM on January 8, 2002

Wish I knew where there was a Wendy's around here so I could go hoist a double in his honor.
posted by briank at 8:03 AM on January 8, 2002

"...in the world..."?? Sorry don't have a Wendy's here in the distant outreach that is Glasgow (as far as I know anyway).

Anyway RIP and all that...
posted by snowgoon at 8:07 AM on January 8, 2002

Dave Thomas could've taught Ray Kroc a thing or two. Not only was his food immeasurably better (that spicy chicken is a work of fast food art), but he spent his time more admirably. Along with his adoption crusades, he was a big promoter of adult education (he was a high school dropout who got his GED very late in life -- within the last 5 or 10 years, I think).

Also remember that Wendy's wasn't his first big success: he made his first millions in the 1960s as one of Colonel Sanders' right-hand-men at Kentucky Fried Chicken.
posted by crabwalk at 8:51 AM on January 8, 2002

he loved hockey

Oddly enough, I am now no longer capable of attending a hockey game without saying "Nice goal, eh?" (the key phrase taught to Dave in a commercial sometime last decade.)
posted by iceberg273 at 8:52 AM on January 8, 2002

Also remember that Wendy's wasn't his first big success: he made his first millions in the 1960s as one of Colonel Sanders' right-hand-men at Kentucky Fried Chicken.

And once again we see the invisible hand of Colonel Sanders guiding the fate of men and nations.
posted by insomnyuk at 9:03 AM on January 8, 2002

We had a Wendy's in my home town. I think I was the only person to ever go there. The same unit is now a McDonalds selling smaller, less tasty, almost tasteless, "food". Another reason why someone said that "Bradford's job is to make everywhere else look better by comparison. This is a job it does very well".
posted by vbfg at 9:06 AM on January 8, 2002

It was a sad sad day when the Wendy's closed, just off Picadilly Circus. I used to pilgrimmage specially just to get to those tasty burgers.

Actually, I may be talking out of my arse, but I am pretty sure it is closed.

Are there any Wendy's in the UK?
posted by Frasermoo at 9:21 AM on January 8, 2002

>It seemed to me that the man honestly loved kids, and I think he ended up adopting a ridiculous number of children into his own family.

No, I don't think so. He had five children, and I think all were born to him and his wife.
posted by nance at 9:30 AM on January 8, 2002

And once again we see the invisible hand of Colonel Sanders guiding the fate of men and nations.

Oh.... I hate the Colonel.... with his wee beady eyes!
posted by brand-gnu at 9:44 AM on January 8, 2002

Well she didn't like beef did she?

Oh you're a sly one, Frasermoo.

If I was an advertiser, I'd have pulled ad time from Ellen too. Because it started out crap and got crapper when every episode became "What gay thing can I do today?"

Getting back on topic, it's sad to see Dave Thomas go. He was an icon of (lame but fun) commercials, and Wendy's is the only fast food joint in Britain that tastes as good as it does over here in the US. (That's a line that's open to ridicule, but as I said in a previous thread on fast food, I really do like my 0xdeadbeef)
posted by SiW at 10:03 AM on January 8, 2002

This idiot had a carcinoid tumor for years, and it finally killed him. Burn in hell, charbroiled.

But why waste the meat? Don't be squeamish. Bovine tumors, glands (and their associated hormones), and a variety of antibiotics and cow growth hormones are all a part of that delicious Wendy's ground beef. And don't forget those wild prions, coming to a mad cow near you real soon.

A little Dave won't hurt much in the mix.
posted by fold_and_mutilate at 10:41 AM on January 8, 2002

A guy who tells a much-loved man who did much good in his lifetime to "burn in hell" has no business calling someone else an idiot. Glass houses and all that, you know.
posted by kindall at 10:51 AM on January 8, 2002

I suspect our folded friend has been visiting the PETA site a few times too many...
posted by darren at 11:43 AM on January 8, 2002

Rolls eyes at fold_and_mutilate.
posted by Optamystic at 1:08 PM on January 8, 2002

Erm... do people even read these articles? Perhaps it's changed, but the linked article does give the cause of death: liver cancer (not a nice way to go).
posted by Lionfire at 6:40 PM on January 8, 2002

I love Wendy's & I love Dave Thomas, but I love Joe Wenderoth's book 'Letters to Wendy's' more!! It's so fabulous...
posted by Miyagi at 9:51 PM on January 8, 2002

I actually met the man once and talked to him for a few minutes... he seemed rather uncomfortable with talking about himself, but asked a lot of questions about me and my sister...nice guy all around. Apparently never graduated from high-school either...
posted by canoeguide at 12:35 AM on January 9, 2002