Harry Morton's brother mourns 'second father' after restaurateur died of heart condition

The brother of Harry Morton is mourning his "best friend" and "second father."

Morton, the founder of Pink Taco and son of Hard Rock co-founder Peter Morton, died at 38 on Saturday from a heart attack, his younger brother Matthew Morton revealed.

"My brother passed away from sudden cardiac death," Matthew wrote on Instagram, before urging young men to "go and get a heart scan." He continued, "SCD is the single largest cause of natural death in the United States, it takes the lives of 325,000 people a year, and it is twice as common in men as it is in women."

People and The New York Post reported Morton had coronary artery disease which causes plaque to build up in the heart's arteries and can lead to a heart attack.

The Morton family issued a statement to the outlets through a spokesperson, which said that Morton "had calcification in three main arteries and suffered sudden cardiac death, an unexpected death caused by loss of heart function."

The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office has yet to announce an official cause of death.

Matthew remembered his brother as the guiding light that "taught me everything growing up."

"Harry is that rare person who means so much to so many people in so many different ways, but to no one, could he be more meaningful than he has been to his little brother," he captioned several pictures of the siblings. "Pretty much everything that’s good inside me comes from a lesson I learned along the way from Harry."

Matthew continued: "He paved the way for me to become the person I am today. I could never have asked for a better teacher or a better friend."

Variety and People report that police confirmed Morton was found dead in his Beverly Hills home Saturday. USA TODAY reached out to authorities for further information.

Matthew said he was in contact with Morton leading up to his death.

"It’s really weird, I had dinner with him on Friday night, and spoke to him on the phone Saturday morning, the last thing I said to him was 'love you frere' and I am eternally grateful that I got to spend so much time with him," he wrote. "If you’re lucky enough to have a brother or a sister, please give them a big squeeze, and tell them how much you love them.

Morton is best known for founding Pink Taco, a Mexican restaurant and food truck company, in 1999 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino near the Las Vegas Strip. It has since expanded to locations in Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Pink Taco spokesperson Tim Ragones said in a statement to USA TODAY: “We are saddened by the passing of Harry Morton, the founder and former owner of Pink Taco. Harry was a visionary and restaurateur ahead of his time, and his contributions, both professionally to our brand and personally to those he worked with, were numerous. Our thoughts and condolences are with his family and friends during this difficult time.”

He came from a famous hospitality industry family: his father, Peter, co-founded the Hard Rock Cafe 1971 and owned and operated the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Vegas until 2006. His grandfather Arnie co-founded the Morton's Steakhouse chain in 1978 and his uncle Michael is also a restaurateur.

Morton's half-sister, Domino Harvey, died at 35 in July 2005 of a drug overdose. Three months later, "Domino," a movie based on her life, debuted starring Keira Knightley. Harvey and Morton shared a mother, model Paulene Stone.

He also had ties to the celebrity world: He previously dated Lindsay Lohan and Demi Moore and was rumored to have had connections to Jennifer Aniston and Britney Spears.

Lohan mourned her ex in an Instagram post Sunday, sharing a black and white photo of the two at a movie premiere in Venice in 2006.

"Best friends. Best life," she wrote.

Stars like Ashton Kutcher, Luke Wilson, Tara Reid and Oliver Hudson were photographed at Morton's 2002 birthday party, hosted at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino's since-closed Baby's Nightclub.

Earlier this year, Morton made headlines after purchasing Elvis Presley's Beverly Hills estate. The Los Angeles Times reported at the time that he spent $25.5 million on the 5,367-square-foot house, which his father had previously owned for about two years and sold in 2014.

Contributing: Cydney Henderson

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Harry Morton cause of death: Pink Taco founder died of heart condition