Emotional body slam: Fans mourn loss of wrestling legend Bobby Heenan
Wrestling fans are taking an emotional body slam with news Sunday of the death of legendary pro wrestling manager Bobby “the Brain” Heenan.
The WWE announced that Heenan, 73, died Sunday from cancer complications. The Hall of Fame wrestler spent the last several years battling the disease, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Tributes are pouring in after the news came out that @WWE legend Bobby "The Brain" Heenan passed away at age 73. https://t.co/4FkXnyAuIr
— Twitter Moments (@TwitterMoments) September 17, 2017
Fans, such as champion wrestler Rick Flair, also known as “Nature Boy,” say Heenan was a true professional.
In a tweet, Flair called him, “The Greatest Manager, One Of The Greatest Announcers, And One Of The Best In-Ring Performers In The History Of The Business.”
Bobby Heenan... The Greatest Manager, One Of The Greatest Announcers, And One Of The Best In-Ring Performers In The History Of The Business
— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) September 17, 2017
“But Heenan’s claim to fame was his lengthy stint as a manager in the then-WWF, when he would send bad guy after bad guy to try and defeat WWF heavyweight champion Hulk Hogan,” the Times says.
RIP Bobby "The Brain" Heenan - one of the GREATEST and most influential personas our business has ever known. pic.twitter.com/BUDikV0z2X
— Mick Foley (@RealMickFoley) September 17, 2017
The Times says Heenan retired as a manager in the early 1990s after suffering a neck injury and turned to commentating and called matches alongside Gorilla Monsoon.
Tom Alberts: 941-745-7040, @alberts_tom
This story was originally published September 17, 2017 at 9:44 PM with the headline "Emotional body slam: Fans mourn loss of wrestling legend Bobby Heenan."