Donald R. Kaye (June 27, 1938 – January 31, 1975) was the co-founder of
Tactical Studies Rules (TSR), the game publishing company most famous for their
Dungeons & Dragons (
D&D)
role-playing game. He and TSR co-founder
Gary Gygax had been friends since childhood, sharing an interest in
miniature war games. In 1972, Kaye created Murlynd, one of the first
D&D characters, and play-tested him in Gygax's
Castle Greyhawk campaign. Kaye and Gygax were convinced that
D&D and similar games were an excellent business opportunity, and together they founded
Tactical Studies Rules in 1973. However, only two years later, just as sales of
D&D started to rise, Kaye unexpectedly died of a heart attack at age 36.