Blockbuster video founder dies at age of 80

H Wayne Huizenga, a college dropout who built a business empire that included Blockbuster Entertainment, Autonation and three professional sports franchises, has died at the age of 80.

Huizenga died on Thursday night at his home, said Valerie Hinkell, a longtime assistant. She gave no details about the cause of death.

Starting with a single garbage truck in 1968, Huzienga built Waste Management Incorporated into a Fortune 500 company. He purchased independent sanitation engineering companies, and by the time he took the company public in 1972, he had completed the acquisition of 133 small-time haulers.

The model worked again with Blockbuster Video, which he started in 1985 and built into a leading movie rental chain.