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Arnold Morton, restaurateur, dead at 83

CHICAGO, May 30 (UPI) -- Chicago restaurateur Arnold "Arnie" Morton has died in Deerfield, Ill., at the age of 83 after suffering with cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

Morton, best-known for a swank nightspot that bore his nickname and Morton's, the steakhouses that still bear his last name, died Saturday, the Chicago Tribune reported Monday.

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"He was an innovative son of a gun who had the warmest personality of anybody that you could meet," said former Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, D-Ill., a one-time regular at Morton's restaurants in Chicago and Washington, D.C.

Morton conceived the idea of the Playboy Club, which he launched in 1960 with Hugh Hefner and Victor Lownes, and Taste of Chicago, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary in July.

Survivors include sons Michael and Peter; daughters Amy, Pam, Debra and Stephanie; a brother, Robert; and 13 grandchildren.

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