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Pizza Hut Co-Founder Dies Of Pneumonia After Recovering From COVID-19

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Taylor Giles Contributor
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A co-founder of Pizza Hut passed away Wednesday in an assisted living facility in Witchita, Kansas, after recently recovering from Covid-19, The New York Times (NYT) reported.

Frank Carney founded Pizza Hut in 1958 alongside his brother. The two helped to build Pizza Hut into the world’s largest pizza chain, according to NYT.

Carney’s brother said that his cause of death was pneumonia, but he had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for the last decade and recently recovered from Covid-19, NYT reported.

After leaving the company in 1980, Carney reportedly worked in a number of industries, including real estate, oil and gas and other food chains.

In 1993, Carney reportedly applied for a position at Pizza Hut but was unhappy with the offer of employment after he lost his fortune made with Pizza Hut.

One year later, at the displeasure of his brother, Carney became a franchise owner of one of Pizza Hut’s top competitors, Papa John’s, the Associated Press reported. (RELATED: Pizza Hut To Close Up To 300 Locations As Bankruptcy Officialized)

Carney grew his Papa John’s franchise in the U.S. to 133 locations by 2001.

“I’m just a regular guy who worked smart and made some L.U.C.K. — L.U.C.K. means Laboring Under Correct Knowledge,” Carney reportedly said prior to his death, according to NYT.