4/18/2002 Lou Thesz 86, died on April 28, 2002 in Orlando Fl
of complications following a triple heart bypass and valve repleacement
April 9. Although the nation's major newspapers (New York Times, Chicago
Tribune and Lost Angeles Times, among them) were shamfefully delinquent
in recording his passing. Thesz was the last of those professional wrestling
headliners whose careers spanned the entirety of the sport's "Golden
Era," circa 1930s to early '80s. Lou's wife Charlie kept the internet
fans updated on Lou's condition.
Lou died about 7:35 a.m. He had spent the night peridoically stroking my head as I attempted sleep with my head on a pillow on his bed. He had struggled to breathe for too long. He knew this match was over and wanted us all to go home and resume our lives. He just stopped breathing. All the bells and whistles went off and dozens of people came into bring him back to life. His doctore was called, and we agreed to let him go. With a full heart and clear head. I can tell all of you Lou died content and with no regrets! Don't mourn - just love what he gave you. He loved and appreciated what you all gave him. Have a glass of wine, or a beer for Lou...
Lou's ashes will be scattered in the Merrimac River in St. Louis on the 18th of May. It will be a very small priavate family service I have resolved myself to the "spin" that the heart surgery did not defeat him, but he won his last match--against an opponent who wanted to reduce him to less then he could accept. If you would like to send Charlie Thesz a card--P.O. Box 783783, Winter Garden, FL 34778
5/6/2002 Randell Stevene (Pee Wee) Anderson, 42, longtime referee died in Rome, GA. Friends say his death was not linked to the bout with cancer he fought several years ago. He is survived by a wife and a daughter and son.
5/13/2002 George Gordienko 75. Gordienko passed away in Canada. Gordienko wrestled in the 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's. He was never a major star in the United States because he couldn't enter the United States. Lou Thesz was a very good friend of Gordienko's and wanted to drop the NWA Title to Gordienko in 1956, but Gordienko was unable to enter the U.S. due to ties with the Communist Party.
5/13/2002 Abe Ford 89. Ford died of kidney failure. Abe leaves a daughter Janet Fleet or Salem; two sons, Roger Abrams of Beverly and Richard Abrams of Westborough; a sister, Godlie Brower of Revere; five grandchilderen & 3 great-grandchildren. Abe started his career playing with a team called the Salem Trade which was a football team. Ford then began his career promoting events and eventually promoting wrestling events in Boston area. Ford became the exlusive promoter of WW(F)E shows in Boston, MA.
5/14/2002 Erich Kulas 22, In 1996 ECW hired Erich Kulas and billed him as "Mass Transit". Kulas was 17 at the time he took part in the ECW angle with Mustaffa and New Jack. The infamous angle had New Jack blade Kulas with a Xacto knife. New Jack screamed he hoped the pig (Kulas) died. Kulas pressed criminal assault charges against Newjack (Jerome Young). Young was found not guilty. Kulas also sought monetary damages against Young in 'civil court' for disfigurement and emotional distress (the suite was dismissed). No cause of death has been suggested in this case.
5/15/2002 Robert Bengie "Ben" Alexander, 51, of Charlotte died at Presbyterian Hospital of Matthews. Born September 30, 1950 in Charlotte, son of Jean Faulkner Alexander of Charlotte and the later Robert Wayne Alexander, he was the owner-operator of a cleaning service. Following his graduation from Independence High School, where he was on the wrestling team. Ben graduated from CPCC. He was a professional wrestler for many years. Ben also played ice hockey and taced stock cars and go karts. At one time, he couached wrestling at Charlotte Catholic High School. Ben workd in the Mid Atlantic, Mid South and Georgia areas and was mostly used as a televsion jobber. Ben wrestled with the Crocket promotion back int he 80's, he also wrestled as the Golden Terror for NWA in those days.
In addition to his mother, Ben is survided by his sister, myra Lacefield and her husband, Mike, and his niece, Tricia Randall, all of Harrisburg, NC.
5/16/2002 Shoichi Arai, 36, Former FMW President and owner of Shoichi Arai was found dead at 6 AM (Japan time) on 5/16. Arai's body was found by a passerby i the Katsushika-Ku district park in Itabashi, Tokyo. According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Arai left a suicide note to his family. The article reported that Arai was despondent afte the bankruptcy of FMW back in February which left him deep into debt, and hand a number of personal problems including a divorce.
5/16/2002 Rizzo-Alexander Paul, 34, (Big Dick Dudley the "Original Dudley" and creator of the double choke slam) hit the mat for the last time on May 16 of an apparent kidney failure. Loving father to Alley and AJ. Beloved son to Annetta, Frederick and Connie. Adoring brother to Laura, Tina, Alicia, Douglas and Jonathan. Cherished fiance to Wendy. Accomplished professional wrestler and actor. Lifetime humanitarian who devoted much of his time to charity work especially for children. Anyone who knew him loved him. One great guy with a heart of gold and a great sense of humor. Anyone wanting to send his family cards write to: The Rizzo Family - P.O. Box 2406, NOrth Babylon, Ny 11703-0406.
Alex passed away in his apartment in Copiague, New York. Alex had nine lives, like a cat. He was prononunced dead once before in a very bad motorcycle accident, but he came back to us. Alex worked for ECW and XPW and many Indy promotions. He also wrestled as Alexander the Great when he first started wrestling which is how long ago I remember him.
My heart goes out to Alex's family and friends with our deepest condolences. Alex will be sorely missed. He was always very kind to the fans, and they loved him. A song in tribute to Alex "Highway to Hell" which we know was his theme song and "Knocking on Heaven's Door" (Guns & Roses).
5/17/2002 Davey Boy Smith (British Bulldog) 39, born 11/27/62. While on a weekend vacation in Invereme, British Columbia, Canada with girlfriend Andrea Hart (Bruce Hart's estranged wife) on May 17 of an apparent heart attack. Davey gained worldwide fame in the tag-team company of boyhood chum Tom Billington, aka The Dynamite Kid. The two were dubbed the British Bulldogs and had a long, highly successful run in the WW(F)E after gaining notoriety in Calgary's Stempede Wrestling and in Japan. While in Calagry, Smith married Diana, the youngest daughter of Stu and Helen Hart. Their marriage, and ultimate breakup, was described in vivid details in her book. Despite their success in the WW(F)E, they only held the group's tag-team title on one occasion beating Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake on April 7, 1986, and losing it to Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart on January 26, 1987. When injuries slowd Billington, Smith went solo in both WCW and the WW(F)E, which he worked much of the 90's. Smith had a stellar career, becoming the WW(F)E Intercontianental, Tag Team, European and Hardcore Champion. In an emotional, often tearful service, his family members - the Harts -- remembered the wrestling star i his early days, choosing to dwell on his happier years before his recent battles with pain and drugs. Smith's death last week in B.C. from an appraent steroid overdose, was the latest in a series of devastating tragedies to strike the Hart clan at the centre of Calgary's wrestling world.
In his eulogy to Davey Boy, Bret (Hitman) Hart, his voice frequently breaking with emotion, referred to the death of hsi brother Dean to kidney failure, of Owen, another brother in a tragic wrestling stunt that went wrong in Kansas in 1999, of his mother Helen last year, of Stu Hart's grandson, Mtthew Annis and now Davey Boy. "This is a long, exhausting argument with God," he said. Among those in attendace at service were: The Hart family, Hulk Hogan, Vince McMahon, HHH, Christ Benoit, Chris Jericho and Jim Ross. Davey's daughter Georgia, fighting to control her tears, brought spontaneous applause with her heart-rending memories of Davey Boy as a great father.
She remembered the day before he died he was sitting iwth her watching wrestlin on television, cracking her toes. "I have been crying my eyes out ever since," she said. "I miss him, we had a bond on one else had." Georgia called her dad a pure gentleman: " He was like a big kid."
Davey's son Harry said when he and his dad wrestled a tag-team match toghether, "it was a dream come true for both of us." Our thoughts, condolences and pryers go out to the family and friends of "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith.
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