S. Truett Cathy | Chick-fil-A founder, 93

S. Truett Cathy, 93, the founder of Chick-fil-A, died Monday.

A billionaire, Mr. Cathy rose from poverty, building a privately held restaurant chain that famously closes every Sunday but drew unwanted attention for the Cathy family's opposition to gay marriage.

He opened his first postwar diner in an Atlanta suburb in 1946 and by 1967 he had founded and opened his first Chick-fil-A Inc. restaurant in Atlanta. Over ensuing decades, the chain's boneless chicken sandwich he is credited with inventing would propel Chick-fil-A expansion to more than 1,800 outlets in 39 states and the nation's capital. By early 2013, the company says on its website, annual sales topped $5 billion.

Mr. Cathy, who was actively involved in the chain's operations well into his 80s, attributed his hardworking nature to growing up poor. "I've experienced poverty and plenty and there's a lesson to be learned when you're brought up in poverty," he said in 2007. "I had to create some good work habits and attitude." - AP