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Obituaries

Carl N. Karcher | Burger-chain founder, 90

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Carl N. Karcher, 90, the founder of the Carl's Jr. hamburger chain, has died.

Mr. Karcher suffered from Parkinson's disease and was being treated for pneumonia when he died Friday at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, Calif., said Beth Mansfield, a spokeswoman for the chain's parent company, CKE Restaurants Inc.

Mr. Karcher, who was a bread-truck driver before getting into the fast-food business, opened the first Carl's Jr. in 1956. He added "Jr." to distinguish it from his full-service eatery.

In 1993, after increasingly bitter feuds with his board of directors and crippling personal financial losses, the 76-year-old founder was ousted as the company's CEO.

Today, Carl's Jr. has more than 1,000 locations across the West.

- AP

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