Harry Morton dead: Grandson of legendary Chicago restaurateur Arnie Morton was 38

Pink Taco, a restaurant business Harry Morton founded and previously owned, confirmed his death in a statement Sunday. Specifics about the circumstances surrounding his death were not immediately available.

By Associated Press

In this 2007 file photo, Harry Morton (from left), Luis Barajas (founder of Flaunt magazine) and Jessica Alba are seen at the opening of the Pink Taco restaurant in Los Angeles.

LOS ANGELES — Harry Morton, a restaurant mogul who was the son of the Hard Rock Cafe chain co-founder and grandson of the Morton’s The Steakhouse founder and Chicagoan Arnie Morton, has died. He was 38.

Varietyand People report that police confirmed Morton was found dead in his Beverly Hills home Saturday.

Morton is best known for founding Pink Taco, a Mexican restaurant and food truck company, in 1999 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino near the Las Vegas Strip. It has since expanded to locations in Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles. The Hard Rock chain did not immediately have a comment Sunday.

Pink Taco spokesperson Tim Ragones said in a statement to USA TODAY: “We are saddened by the passing of Harry Morton, the founder and former owner of Pink Taco. Harry was a visionary and restaurateur ahead of his time, and his contributions, both professionally to our brand and personally to those he worked with, were numerous. Our thoughts and condolences are with his family and friends during this difficult time.”

Morton was also an owner of the Viper Room nightclub in West Hollywood and had been romantically linked to several celebrities, including Lindsay Lohan and Demi Moore.

Morton’s father, Peter, co-founded the Hard Rock Cafe chain. Harry Morton served as vice president of development of the Hard Rock chain after working summers at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, The Los Angeles Times previously reported.

According to USA Today, Morton’s half-sister, Domino Harvey, died at 35 in July 2005 of a drug overdose. Three months later, “Domino,” a movie based on her life, debuted starring Keira Knightley. Harvey and Morton shared a mother, model Paulene Stone.

Morton recently purchased Elvis Presley’s former estate in Beverly Hills for $25.5 million. Morton’s father had previously owned the 5,367-square-foot mansion for two years but sold it in 2014 for $14.5 million, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Contributing: Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY. Read more at usatoday.com.