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Kent Taylor CEO and founder of Texas Roadhouse died on Thursday at age 65. In a company-issued statement, Taylor’s family said Taylor took his life away following a battle with post Covid-19 related symptoms,  including severe tinnitus (ringing in the ear). After, the restaurant chain announced his death on its Facebook page.

“After a battle with post Covid-19 related symptoms, including severe tinnitus, Kent Taylor took his own life this week,” the family said. “Kent battled and fought hard like the former track champion he was. The suffering greatly intensified in recent days became unbearable.”

According the family, Taylor funded a clinical study aiming to give help to military members who suffer from tinnitus.  President Jerry Morgan will be the successor of Taylor as a CEO of the Louisville-based restaurant company, continued the statement.

“We will miss you, Kent. Because of you and your dream of Texas Roadhouse, we get to say we (love) our jobs every day,” the company wrote in a Facebook post on Friday.

“While you never expect the loss of such a visionary as Kent, our succession plan, which Kent led, gives us great confidence,” said Greg Moore, Texas Roadhouse’s lead director.

Louisville Mayor, Greg Fischer, tweeted on Thursday the city had “lost a much loved and one-of-a-kind citizen.”

“Kent’s kind and generous spirit was his constant driving force whether it was quietly helping a friend or building one of America’s great companies in @texasroadhouse,” Fisher wrote. “He was a maverick entrepreneur who embodied the values of never giving up and putting others first.”

Tinnitus May Cause Suicidal Thoughts in Some Adults

Tinnitus includes ringing, whooshing, humming, hissing, throbbing or buzzing heard in the ear or the head of the patient. The symptoms can be persistent and it can lead people who suffer from it to take their life away.

For instance, Christina Kennedy received a Tinnitus diagnosis. Kennedy told Inews she also had suicidal thoughts.

“I felt so low I called the Samaritans a couple of times,” she confessed. “I was distressed fearing it was going to be with me forever, I just couldn’t escape the sound. It all started to spiral. I didn’t want to live anymore and I was afraid of how I was thinking.”

However, Christina said antidepressants and meditation helped her to deal with the symptoms.

“I was hesitant to try medication because I was scared of getting off them,” she said.

“Antidepressants may not be right for everyone but they worked for me. Meditation may sound like an odd thing to help because you’re in a quiet room. But it helped because I realized stress and anxiety are major triggers for my tinnitus.” She added

If you or someone you know are having thoughts of suicide or self harm, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at this link or by calling 1-800-273-TALK. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.