Subway Co-Founder Fred DeLuca Dies at 67 The sandwich entrepreneur opened his first location at just 17.

By Kate Taylor

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Reuters | Stefan Wermuth

The man behind the Subway brand died just weeks after celebrating the company's 50th anniversary.

Subway founder and CEO Fred DeLuca died on Monday evening at the age of 67, the company confirmed on Tuesday. DeLuca founded the sandwich chain with his business partner, Dr. Peter Buck, in 1965 when he was only 17 years old.

Related: Burning Man Considers Legal Action Against Quiznos After Parody Ad

Under DeLuca's leadership, Subway began franchising in 1974 to grow into a chain with more than 44,000 locations worldwide. DeLuca was a major advocate for franchising throughout his life, telling Entrepreneur in 2005, "The franchisees are uniquely in touch at the local level. They see what's going on in their communities in a way we couldn't ever imagine."

DeLuca was diagnosed with leukemia in 2013. He continued to serve as CEO while receiving treatments, but named his sister Suzanne Greco president overseeing day-to-day operations in January of this year.

Related: Subway Reveals It Did Not Act on a Serious Complaint About Jared Fogle in 2011

Kate Taylor

Reporter

Kate Taylor is a reporter at Business Insider. She was previously a reporter at Entrepreneur. Get in touch with tips and feedback on Twitter at @Kate_H_Taylor. 

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