Harry Morton, Pink Taco Founder And Hard Rock Cafe Scion, Dies At Age 38

Ron Dicker

Pink Taco founder Harry Morton, who once owned the famous Viper Room nightclub and reportedly romanced several Hollywood celebrities, died Saturday at age 38.

Morton, whose father co-founded the Hard Rock Cafe chain, was found unresponsive in his Beverly Hills, California, home, police told People. His younger brother Matthew was first at the scene, the outlet reported, citing a source.

No foul play was suspected, The Hollywood Reporter noted. Details were not immediately available.

Morton had been romantically linked to several stars, including Lindsay Lohan, Demi Moore, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Jennifer Aniston, according to People and other reports.

“Best friends. Best life,” Lohan, who dated Morton in 2006, wrote in an Instagram tribute Sunday accompanied by a photo of the pair.

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“Harry was a visionary and restaurateur ahead of his time, and his contributions, both professionally to our brand and personally to those he worked with, were numerous,” the Mexican food chain Pink Taco said in a statement, per The Associated Press.

Harry Morton and Lindsay Lohan attended the 2006 Venice Film Festival premiere of "Bobby." (Photo: George Pimentel via Getty Images)
Harry Morton and Lindsay Lohan attended the 2006 Venice Film Festival premiere of "Bobby." (Photo: George Pimentel via Getty Images)

Morton had the restaurant business in his blood. His dad, Peter, co-founded Hard Rock Cafe, and his grandfather, Arnie, established the Morton’s steakhouse chain.

Paris Hilton and Harry Morton in an undated photo taken at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The two reportedly dated at one time. (Photo: Jamie McCarthy via Getty Images)
Paris Hilton and Harry Morton in an undated photo taken at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The two reportedly dated at one time. (Photo: Jamie McCarthy via Getty Images)

Harry Morton opened his first Pink Taco at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas in 1999. A subsequent location in Scottsdale, Arizona, closed a few years after local controversy over the chain’s double entendre name. Pink Taco’s current locations include Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston.

In March, a corporate entity of Harry Morton’s bought Elvis Presley’s former Beverly Hills estate for more than $25 million, the Los Angeles Times previously reported.

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