OMG
Top Chick-fil-A Exec Dies of Heart Attack But the Anti-Gay Scandal Isn't to Blame
Chick-fil-A has been in the middle of a PR nightmare. CEO Dan Cathy's support for anti-gay groups has put a bulls-eye over the company. Well, things just got worse. VP of public relations Don Perry died of a heart attack this morning.
People will undoubtedly blame the stress of this scandal for his sudden death. A few particularly cruel foes may even say it's karma since he defended what people say is a homophobic company. Well, jumping to that line of thinking is just as asinine as the anti-gay stance Chick-fil-A has been criticized for.
Yes, the company faces protests and boycotts, but to point a finger at the scandal is a ridiculously unfair conclusion to make at this point. It takes years for cardiovascular problems to develop, and for all we know, Perry may have loved what was likely the biggest challenge of his career.
You may not have agreed with the company's stance, but Perry's attempt to smooth things over with the public was admirable. Speaking on behalf of the fast food chain, he promised to "leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.”
Of course timing could not be worse. It's not only a tragedy for the family, but for his colleagues as well. Perry had been with Chick-fil-A for 29 years, and with his passing, the company probably lost one of its biggest supporters.
How do you feel about Chick-fil-A?
Image via hectorir/Flickr
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jessicasmom1
How sad and traggic wether anti gay or not I do not believe this has anything to do with the death of this man.
AerisKate
I don't think we can say the scandal isn't to blame. Nobody knows and the public may never know. I do know that stress and anxiety can take a huge toll on heart health (and health in general) and especially if he already had heart disease, the stress of the past week could very well have sent his heart over the edge. Honestly, I'm tired of the whole thing. It's an emotional issue that means a lot to many people, but I think it's being blown way out of proportion. Cathy was interviewed by a religious organization and he made a statement about supporting traditional marriage and families. He also mentioned being thankful for being married to his first wife. Are divorcees getting up in arms about his statements? Take what you want from what he said, but he did not directly point fingers at any one group and make any hateful or condemning statements. If someone can support one view so politely like he did, why can't people disagree with him politely? The hatefulness being poured on Chick-fil-a as a whole has just gotten out of control and is much worse than anything Cathy ever said. I would understand this utter disparagement of Chick-fil-a if he had said anyone not in a traditional marriage was going to hell or some other nasty remark, but the man said nothing of the sort.
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hotrdumommy
Guest-I'm a liberal and I would NEVER wish death on anyone regardless of who they are and their beliefs. My heart and prayers go out to his family, because in the end that's who is hurting right now. Not the liberals. Not the conservatives. Not Chick-fil-A. His family is hurting.
zandhmom2
Even though I support my cousin who is gay, I just read on his fb feed: K-A-R-M-A IS A BITCH :))) !!! and I have to say that I really had to hold my tongue and not say something nasty about his comment. I don't care who you are or how you feel about this issue, being happy that someone is died is just horrible. I really lost some respect for him today.
kaerae
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tinypossum
Who knows if the stress of recent events had anything to do with his death. Regardless, it is very sad for his family and friends and the only thing anyone needs to say right now is "my condolences".
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