Longtime ticket industry executive James “Jay” Mullarkey died earlier this week, officials from TicketNetwork confirmed via email. Mullarkey was a fixture at the Connecticut ticket resale marketplace for 15 years, serving as a sales executive and Vice President before departing to start his own consulting firm in 2019.

News of his death at age 54 was met with disbelief and an outpouring of sympathy from the ticket broker community on Monday. Many, both inside and out of the TicketNetwork operation had worked closely with Mullarkey or met him through his presence with the company sales team at Ticket Summit events, where he frequently served as a Master of Ceremonies and panel moderator.

“Jay was an amazing friend and mentor to me for over a decade at TN,” says Rob Smith, who worked with him from 2006-19 and remains at TicketNetwork as a Business to Business Sales Manager. “He truly cared about every person who crossed his path, and taught me so much about how to treat our clients and earn their trust. I carry his lessons with me every day.”

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“I’m so grateful for all the professional and personal memories I have with him,” Smith continued. “His positive impacts on our industry, the community, and his family and friends are too many to list and can’t be overstated. I know I wouldn’t be where I am in life without Jay, and I can’t believe he’s gone.”

Mullarkey, a graduate of Hartford’s South Catholic High School and Western New England University in Springfield, Massachusetts, joined TicketNetwork in 2004. As the company grew rapidly with the online ticket resale industry, he grew with it in a multi-faceted role that included sales, relationships with broker clients, and working with local officials in a government relations capacity.

“Jay was a great person and really cared – he helped both brokers and consumers all day every day,” says TicketNetwork CEO Don Vaccaro. “Jay led our charitable initiatives, and had a lot to do with establishing our company’s focus on helping folks in the community that needed help.”

Since January 2019, Mullarkey had served as managing partner at Simple Strategic Solutions, a consulting firm serving clients in Connecticut. He was also active with many local political and charitable organizations including Foodshare of Greater Hartford, The House of Bread, The Friends of Mark Twain, The Saint Francis/ Mount Sinai Hospital Foundation, and The Open Hearth. He was also an Executive Board member of The Hartford Democratic Town Committee.

Due to the ongoing restrictions on gatherings due to the Covid-19 pandemic, details regarding any services or celebration of Mullarkey’s life are not yet determined at press time.

Obituary – James M “Jay” Mullarkey