Zimmer (center) receives an honorary doctorate in humane letters from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in San Francisco on June 7.

George Zimmer founded Men's Warehouse in Houston in 1973 and now, 40 years later, he has left the company under mysterious circumstances.

In a press release, the California-based menswear retailer sent out this morning, the company said that it had "terminated George Zimmer from his position as Executive Chairman." Zimmer took the company public in 1992 and oversaw its expansion to the over 1,100-store retail behemoth it is today. In June 2011, Douglas S. Ewert succeeded Zimmer when he stepped down as CEO. Zimmer remained handsomely compensated — he pulled down between $1.7 and $2 million in total compensation from 2010–2012.

Zimmer was, of course, most famous as the company's chief pitchman, delivering his signature line, "You're going to like the way you look. I guarantee it," in ads since 1997. He had been saying "I guarantee it" in ads since well before then.