Wrestlers who recently died and maybe you didn't hear
Wrestlers don't exactly have the best track record as far as life expectancy is concerned. The combination of injuries and substance abuse takes quite a few of them before their 70's. Some deaths are celebrated immensely, while others go by practically unnoticed. Here are a couple that you might have missed that unfortunately passed on in the past year and unlike some other "before their time" wrestlers, all of these guys passed the 70's mark before moving on.
King Kong Bundy
Bundy wasn't ever really a star so much as he was a necessary heel intended to "put over" other stars or be a whipping post for Hulkamania in the 80's. While not necessarily known for his agility, his immense size made him one of the largest superstars to ever lace up them boots. At more than 450 lbs, King Kong lost his long-standing battle with diabetes in March of 2019.
‘Nature Boy’ Roger Kirby
Buddy Rogers was the first "Nature Boy" and of course "Ric Flair" was the most recent and definitely most popular. People tend to forget that there was a 2nd coming for "Naitch" and it was in the form of Roger Kirby who has been described as one of the best to ever enter the ring.
His blonde hair and mid-size (for a pro wrestler) physique made him a perfect match to carry the torch of the Nature Boy name and Buddy Rogers agreed to this when he elected to give the name to Kirby in the 60's. Unlike other wrestlers, Kirby was a genuine tough guy who prior to getting involved in wrestling was a Golden Gloves boxer. He primarily wrestled in NWA but joined WWF (now WWE) in '86 only to quickly retire stating that he "wanted to be remembered as a top wrestler."
He passed away at the age of 79 due to complications associated with his pancreatic cancer.
Mean Gene Okerlund
While not a wrester, Okerlund was one of the most recognized faces in wrestling from the beginning. His color commentary brought a light to the "fake" sport that few others have been able to replicate ever since. I would argue that Okerlund brought a certain seriousness to the sport that todays commentators are not even trying to copy. These days the commentary, particularly by Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler are more comedic than anything else whereas Gene kind of took on the role that an announcer / commentator would assume in a "real" sport.
After 3 kidney transplants, he tragically fell and damaged his 3rd and was unable to recover and passed away on Jan 2nd, 2019.
I barely remember one of these guys but was glued to the screen for wrestling during the other 2. I never knew much about Roger Kirby because I wasn't alive for most of his career. They all made considerable contributions to the sport in their time and while it is still tragic that they died, at least their lives can be considered to be not "cut short."