Press release: 2008-09-08: Industry icon Marty Bromley passes away

This is an unaltered copy of a press release, for use as a primary source on Sega Retro. Please do not edit the contents below. Language: English Original source: www.intergameonline.com (archived)

September 8, 2008
by David Snook

One of the great icons of the international coin machine industry, Marty Bromley, died yesterday afternoon (Sunday) at his office in Zurich, Switzerland, aged 88.
By Sunday evening tributes were pouring in for Bromley from all over the world. He was perhaps the longest-serving member of the coin machine community, having been actively engaged in the industry for over 70 years. Throughout the 1950s, 60s and 70s he helped shape the modern coin machine industry, making Sega a household name, opening up an operation with American service clubs in occupied countries during and just after the war.

With fellow directors Dick Stuart, Ray Le Maire, Scott Dotterer and David Rosen, he grew Sega into an international corporation. At the time of his death, Bromley was head of a number of companies. The best known enterprise with which his name is connected is the substantial adult gaming centre and amusement arcade company in the UK, Family Leisure, part of which is Funland at the Trocadero in London. He took an active interest in the day-to-day operation of the parent companies.

Michael Green of UDC, who knew Marty Bromley for well over 50 years, said today: "I understand that Marty had spent the morning in his Zurich office, had lunch with Dick Stuart, then said he was going to his room for a rest and to read the paper. He didn’t wake up, which is how he would have wanted to die.  A legend has gone."

Bromley’s daughter Lauran, who is head of her own redemption games manufacturing company in the US, and her partner are on their way to Zurich today and following a post mortem scheduled for today, will take the body back to Los Angeles. Funeral arrangements will hopefully be known later today.

By this morning, tributes were already pouring in for Bromley.

Derek Horwood of UDC in London said: "We are saddened by the passing of one of the great stalwarts of the industry. We all have our memories of this giant of a figure in the business and his passing only goes to reinforce that none of us is immortal and when our time eventually comes, we are powerless to prevent this terrible finality."

His colleague Michael Green added: "I spent two 10-year periods working with Marty, at Alca and Family Leisure. No matter what happened in business we remained very close and I feel just terrible and numb. He was my mentor and I could always learn from him."

Freddy Bailey, who knew Marty for many years, speaking from his New York home, said: "Marty was a giant of the industry. He was charismatic and charming. He always had time for his friends.  Only a couple of months ago I asked him to confirm something for me. He apologised that the name of the person I was trying to remember had escaped him. Within minutes I had an email from his daughter on the other side of the world from him, telling me the name of the person I was inquiring about. That is character with a capital ‘C’."

Another industry veteran, Myron Sugarman, in South America, said: "He was a giant of our industry, a gentleman and class personified.  I knew him for 50 years; his death will be mourned, his life celebrated."