Glen Bell, founder of Taco Bell, dead at 86

The owner of Taco Bell has died at 86. Glen W. Bell, Jr. passed away Sunday at his home in Rancho Santa Fe, California. Cause of death has not been stated.

The company posted a statement on their site about the passing of Bell Monday, reports the Washington Post. "Glen Bell was a visionary and innovator in the restaurant industry, as well as a dedicated family man," Greg Creed, president of Taco Bell, said in the statement. Bell was a WWII veteran. After observing how McDonald's was making fast food, he opened his first restaurant Bell's Drive-In in 1948. He was part of launching Taco Tias, El Tacos and Der Wienerschnitzel. He started Taco Bell in 1962 selling his first franchise in 1964. In 1978 he sold his 868 Taco Bell restaurants to PepsiCo for $125 million in stock. Taco Bell is the world's largest Mexican fast food chain in the United States with more than 5,600 locations.