Todd Mills, Genius Behind Doritos Locos Taco, Dies at 41

Not many know of Todd Mills, the man behind the Doritos Locos Taco, who died on Thanksgiving at the age of 41 after battling brain cancer.

According to wife, Ginger, the idea for the novelty taco shell began with Mills eating his taco salads with Doritos. In 2009, he reached out to Fritos-Lay with his idea for an orange-dusted taco shell. Their response at the time was, “Thanks, but no thanks,” said Ginger.

However, Todd Mills wasn’t one to give up easily. After receiving the rejection letter, he took to Facebook in 2009. There, Mills created a page dedicated to his passion that encouraged followers to “tell Frito-Lay that we demand nacho cheesy taco shells!” The page also featured an array of clever photoshopped images of various celebrities and cartoons posting with the Doritos taco shell. As his movement gained momentum, Taco Bell called Mills and flew him out to their test kitchen in California to try out the new Doritos Locos Taco.

The rest, as we’re well aware, is history. Taco Bell has since sold more than $1-billion worth of DLTs. Mills never received compensation for his idea, saying he just wanted his “cool idea” to come true, said his wife. However, after a friend contacted the company on Twitter, the chain donated $1000 to help pay for Mills’ medical bills.

Jimmy Looney, a longtime friend of Mills, described him as “guy with a good idea and a good heart.” Mills’ funeral was held on December 2. Friends went to Taco Bell and ate his favorite tacos in memory of him.