Duane R. Roberts, who reopened the shuttered Mission Inn Hotel & Spa and helped spark a revival of downtown Riverside, died Saturday night.

Roberts, 88, died in his sleep surrounded by his family days away from his 89th birthday, according to a statement issued Sunday by his wife, Kelly.

She called her husband “a visionary entrepreneur, devoted husband and a man whose heart and generosity forever shaped our family and community.”

“I feel so blessed to have shared 35 wonderful years of marriage with Duane,” Kelly Roberts said. “Together, we built a beautiful life working side by side, sharing in the joy, purpose and love that defined our journey together.”

Cindy Roth, who was president of the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce from 1977 to 2022, said Sunday that his holiday extravaganza, the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa Festival of Lights, put “Riverside on the map.”

But his saving of the downtown hotel won’t be soon forgotten, she said.

“Thank God Duane Roberts stepped up for his hometown and purchased the Mission Inn and just brought it back to life and to the grandeur that everybody knew,” said Roth, who recalled a time when the inn was surrounded by a fence and there was discussion of bulldozing it. “And the Festival of Lights is iconic for Riverside. He will be remembered for his commitment of what he’s done for generations.”

Roth added: “People, when they think of Riverside, they think of the Mission Inn.”

Nicholas Adcock, the chamber’s current president and CEO, said in a Sunday email that Duane Roberts had a “tremendous” impact on Riverside.

“He revitalized the Mission Inn at a pivotal moment to downtown’s renaissance and has since invested millions to bring life and commerce to our city,” Adcock said. “His philanthropy, often anonymously, helped numerous organizations serve thousands of families in need or crisis.”

Janice Penner, executive director of the Riverside Downtown Partnership, called his death “a major loss for the city.”

Former Riverside Mayor Rusty Bailey remembered meeting Roberts for the first time in 2008 at the inn steakhouse that bears his name.

“It was a little bit like going to the don,” Bailey said. “He was sitting in his booth. Somebody walked me in. He was sitting in his booth and I shook his hand.”

Bailey applauded Duane Roberts’ achievements, calling him “the hometown boy that not only did well for himself but did good for the community.”

Duane Roberts was a Laguna Beach resident and Riverside native who made his first millions by creating frozen burritos. He purchased the inn — shut since 1985 — in 1992 and rescued it from demolition. Then he oversaw a $55 million renovation of the historic hotel that takes up a city block and anchors downtown life.

He restored the inn — a draw for the famous, including presidents — to prominence and a year later created the Festival of Lights, which draws legions of visitors each year and has won national recognition. This year’s switch-on ceremony, which Duane Roberts would typically attend, is a few weeks away and set for Nov. 22.

Today, the inn stands as a city, state and national landmark and the city’s top tourist site.

Duane Roberts’ interest in the architectural wonder dates to his roots in Riverside.

His father was a Riverside meat wholesaler who sold patties and barbecue beef to California restaurants in the 1950s — including the original McDonald’s in San Bernardino. Later, Duane Roberts created a bean-and-beef burrito that could be deep-fried. It led to millions of dollars and he sold the business in 1980.

The staunch Republican served in the military and “deeply loved his country,” according to the statement.

“He believed passionately in the principles of hard work, perseverance and opportunity values that guided both his business ventures and his life,” the statement reads.

Duane Roberts and his wife, co-owner of the hotel, have been major contributors to Republican candidates — including Donald Trump, Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz — and to other GOP causes over the years.

Kelly Roberts also noted her husband’s generosity, which she said “touched countless lives across the nation.”

Duane Roberts supported pets, education, veterans, health care and the arts. He contributed to the Riverside Aquatics Complex and to UC Riverside, according to the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce. He supported Olive Crest, a nonprofit organization that works to prevent child abuse and help families in crisis, as well as the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center, which is named for his mother.

Adcock recalled one example of Duane Roberts’ kindness. He would screen movies for students at Riverside’s Bryant Elementary School at the Fox Performing Arts Center or at the Mission Inn.

Duane Roberts won recognition in his community numerous times.

For example, he was the chamber of commerce’s Citizen of the Year in 1999 and won its Riverside Hero Award in 2003. The Mission Inn was chosen as the chamber’s Business of the Year in 1997.

Kelly Roberts said her husband was “deeply committed to helping those in need, and his compassion knew no bounds.”

Her statement concludes by saying his “light will continue to shine brightly.”

“His light will forever guide us in service, in kindness and in love.”

Instead of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center in Duane Roberts’ name.

The Mission Inn, whose lobby has a statue of Duane and Kelly Roberts, will stand as a memorial to Duane Roberts.

In a 2007 interview, he recalled buying the hotel in part because his late mother had loved it.

“She would have never imagined that we would own a treasure like the Mission Inn,” Roberts said at the time.

“I like beautiful old things,” he said. “The Mission Inn is the fabric that binds the community together. It’s a heart welling thing to own. Some (wealthy) people have sports teams, I have my Mission Inn.”