 In Boston, in the 1970s, he ran a then-innovative business for theater-goers to purchase tickets by phone, using a credit card.He sold the business, Quickcharge, to a predecessor of Ticketmaster.In 1989, in his mid-40s and an event salesperson for a large Los Angeles theater, Compton suffered a complete mental breakdown; his family believes it may have been caused by his use of crystal methamphetamine.