WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart has penned a heartfelt message about the passing of his brother Smith, who passed away over the weekend after battling prostate cancer.
Smith was the oldest of the 12 Hart family children and was a a former pro wrestler, competing for Stampede Wrestling, the National Wrestling Alliance, the World Wrestling Council and other companies across the world. He also made several memorable WWE appearances throughout his career, including SummerSlam 1994 when Bret Hart battled his brother Owen inside a steel cage and most notably at WrestleMania XXVI, when he assisted Bret in his No Holds Barred Match against Mr. McMahon.
Once again, our sincere condolences to the friends and family of the late Smith Hart.
Bret posted the following on Facebook on Wednesday:
I want to thank everyone for your messages of love and support over these last few days.
It is with a heavy heart that I write my final goodbye to my eldest brother Smith. I know that the gates of heaven will open up and welcome one of the most unique and original characters ever. One can only stand in admiration at how Smith stayed truth to himself, always proudly dancing to his own tune. No one was more proud of being a Hart than Smith. He wore his name like a badge of honour. I believe that the Hart family is like being part of something that never leaves you, even if someday you find out you have to leave it. But I also believe that Smith is being embraced in the joyful arms of many loved ones gone before. Smith was ten stories deep. Sensitive, mischievous, hilariously coarse with a whip-smart sense of humour. He was a bottomless trove of imagination and potential and I think that anyone who knew him knows that there was always something very special about Smith. He was a boy that grew up in a crazy world filled with colourful characters and it shouldn’t be a surprise that he would indeed grow up and become one of the most interesting and colourful characters I ever knew. He left us with his children, all with certain traits of his.
Smith was a huge influence on me growing up. He changed my life in so many ways. He taught me how to draw and he was the first brother to ever team up with me in wrestling. Above all things, Smith taught me to laugh, right up until his final days. He’d light up the room with that classic “Smith humour” (“She’s going to get the cattle prod.”). He also spoke of his regrets with clear-headed honesty. Smith was a fighter. He had great strength and amazing courage right down to the bitter end. He proudly fought cancer until his dying breath and he was lovingly supported by every Hart in our family. He loved us, and all of us loved him so much.
It could never have been very easy being the oldest of twelve kids. The enormous task of trying to fill my stern father’s shoes may have been too challenging, or perhaps he simply didn’t want or need it. Smith followed his dreams and although many didn’t come true, he was one-of-a-kind and every bit as unique, gifted, or talented as any Hart, including my father. He did it his way and God bless him for that. In Smith’s final days, I clearly recognized the strength and determination of my father who he spoke so lovingly about and, without question, was his hero and guardian. I believe they’re together again. He finally found his peace.
