handle the funeral.
Posted on 07/08/2004 7:34:48 AM PDT by MississippiMalcontent
Michael Tata, a Station Casinos executive featured prominently in The Discovery Channel's new "American Casino" television series, was found dead early Tuesday inside his Henderson home. He was 33.
A 1996 graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Tata began working at Henderson's Green Valley Ranch in June 2001. After a 2 1/2-year tenure as director of hotel operations, Tata was promoted to Green Valley Ranch's vice president of hotel operations in January 2004.
A Henderson Police Department spokesman said officers responded to a call shortly after 9:30 Tuesday morning and found a dead adult male upon entering a Seven Hills area home. The address matched that of a residence county property records show is owned by Michael Tata.
The Clark County coroner's office later confirmed Tata's death was recorded late Tuesday morning. Henderson police spokesman Keith Paul said the death is under investigation, but officers found no initial signs of foul play.
Tata's death shocked his friends and colleagues at Green Valley Ranch, where he had worked since June 2001.
"Michael was the heart and soul of Green Valley Ranch's hotel operations," Vice President and General Manager Joe Hasson said in a statement. "The hotel's outstanding performance over the last three years is a direct reflection of Michael's skills and commitment ... and today we all feel like we have lost a member of our family."
Station Casinos released a statement that called Tata "a valued team member" who will be missed by others at the Las Vegas-based gaming company.
Efforts to reach Tata's family were unsuccessful Tuesday.
A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Tata moved to Las Vegas in 1993. In addition to Station Casinos, he worked at Las Vegas' MGM Grand and Four Seasons hotels and spent three years in management roles at the Four Seasons resort in Maui, Hawaii.
In an online biography associated with "American Casino," Tata said he enjoyed the ambiance of working in a resort environment but did not enjoy "busting people's chops all day, especially people who cannot handle constructive criticism." If he could have held any other job at Green Valley Ranch, Tata joked, he would have become a doorman or pool attendant "to reap the obvious benefits of either position."
Geez, sorry to hear about his death.
Maybe that mouthy, bitchy underling of his will slide into his position.
The thing that stuck with me about that show is all the levels of bickering middle-management, and the overuse of marketing-speak.
He was creepy enough I wouldn't want to stay anywhere he was in charge.
Who knows in Vegas if it was personal, business or accident.
So9
We will never know
what happens in vegas stays in vegas
Another reminder from fate that you can't take it with you. Only 33.
There is no way I could have worked for this guy. Its a good show though.
Isn't Green Valley Ranch Resort where Michael Jackson hid out when the first actions against him were brought forward by the DA and the Grand Jury?
Wonder what this guy knew about Michael and his behavior?????
LOL!! Maybe she got tired of his ass-chewings and did him in herself!
I like Ninya. Went to the Green Valley Ranch site and the Discovery Channel site on the show. Neither has any word about Tata dying. Interesting thing though, on the Discovery site he is not listed as a member of the cast/show/employees.
Have to give credit to that one dessert chef, though, for busting his a$$ on that failed "sugar creation."
Are you talking about the "JC1K" dork? I can't believe he's for real.
That's the place...too early to say what happened to this guy. I live about 5 miles from GVR...they have a GREAT brunch. I personally have never heard of this man, but then I don't work in the gaming biz...prayers to his family...
"A salad fork is missing at table 83 and there is a rose petal on the floor in the lobby. Call me back and confirm you've received this call and I'll be calling you everytime I see anything out of place."
Then there's the guy who procures "special services" for the high-rolling "whales." Seems like there's a fine line dividing that gig from that of PIMP.
I liked Tata but a lot of people didn't. I'm betting its a suicide.
I have a friend in Vegas that told me yesterday that they still hadn't come up with a cause of death (that he had heard of, anyway). Odd that it would be taking this long.
Really, he gave her a day off, then bitched her out for not being at a meeting on that day off. If you want your employee coming in on a day off, you'd better make sure you let them know.
Discovery has a tribute up now...
http://media.dsc.discovery.com/fansites/americancasino/tribute/tribute.html
He'd recently been dumped by his long-time girlfriend and "Entertainment Weekly" had just described him as a "first-class weasel" and "seething lump of creepiness" in its review of the show (which hit stands a couple of days before his death). A suicide - accidental or intentional - wouldn't surprise me. Sometimes "reality" hurts.
I have a thread going on Tata since I did not know this one existed. I would like to share an update from pittsburgh gop guy.
An update:
Autopsy fails to uncover cause of death of Tata
7/9/2004
Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the death of Amherst native Michael Tata - one of the prominent players in the Discovery Channel reality series "American Casino" - who died Tuesday in his home in Henderson, Nev., a suburb of Las Vegas.
An autopsy performed Wednesday failed to uncover the cause of death, but a Henderson Police Department spokesman said there was no evidence of foul play.
Coroner P. Michael Murphy of the Clark County coroner's office said toxicology tests are being done to detect legal and illegal substances as well as forensic tests for any undetected illnesses, diseases and infections. The test results are expected in two to four weeks, he said.
Tata, 33, the director of hotel operations at Green Valley Ranch in Las Vegas, was a graduate of Amherst High School and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20040709/4021323.asp
Thanks for the update. I've talked to Las Vegans in the last few days and they haven't heard anything, either. Curious. Keep me posted.
Am I interpreting too much or were he and Ninya living together? That moving out scene seemed very contrived to me.
I predict Wayne will be the next to go, given his significant intake of alcohol.
Namely, your money.
Yeah, cute, Newbie.
Having gone to school with Tata I can assure all of you that he was NOT the person you saw on tv. Yes, he was passionate about his job but he was one of the nicest people I have ever met! What you all saw was his "Work Persona" not his personality.
And I haven't.
Don't expect me to feel sorry for every single person that dies in the world, especially people I don't know. Some woman you don't even know died in a ...St. Louis hospital today--are you grieving about that? Why not? Don't you grieve for people you don't even know or never even met? No? Then don't expect me to.
hah, she's annoying too, I agree. I wouldn't hire her based upon her attitude with Tata. But that might be just playing up their relationship for tv. Have you heard the cause of his death yet?
Wow, they're all over this one!
Yeah but he was in Henderson, so ...
Try here
http://www.griefhealing.com/
instead of
http://www.freerepublic.com
And after I watched the show where they tried to think of a story to tell a guest why they were going to take his room for a high roller, I would never stay there for anything. They are snakes, lying to their guest, and bitching out their help with f-bombs to impress the cameras, and then complimenting each other on their potty mouths, saying it represented a true commitment to caring about their position by ripping their underlings. What an antiquated, hatchet style of management. I would get in her face and enjoy every last minute of sucking up the stickiest snot on to my tongue, before turbo blasting it right in her eyes, smile, and resign. What a BITCH..
If he was a nice guy, then the TV camera editors are having a field day choosing to portray the GVR as a cutthroat, chaotic, screaming bunch of ill-schooled little "panicfirstthinksecond" hatchet managers who have lost the respect of their personnel, and who resort to threat & fear tactics to whip people. I'd never be talked to that way by anyone. It's not the only place on earth to work, by a long shot. LD
”Guns Before Butter.”
Good grief, I count EIGHT new posters who signed up just to comment to this thread!
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