We reported yesterday the sad news that WWE Hall Of Famer “Mean” Gene Okerlund unfortunately passed away at the age of 76. Okerlund established himself as, arguably, the greatest professional wrestling announcer and interviewer of all time throughout his years in WWE and WCW. Upon his passing, not much information was available regarding Okerlund’s cause of death.
However, recently, Okerlund’s son, Todd, spoke to the Associated Press. He revealed that his father passed at a hospital in Sarasota, Florida Sunday morning. Per the Star Tribune, Okerlund passed away sometime around 5:30 A.M. local time in the hospital’s emergency room. His wife, Jeanne, was at his side at the time of his passing. Also, it was revealed that Okerlund recently underwent three kidney transplants.
Todd said his father became ill a few weeks ago and “it just kind of went from bad to worse.” It was also said that he was dealing with several health issues on top of everything. Okerlund took a bad fall at home and sustained a few broken ribs. He was admitted into a nursing home days before his death. When he began having trouble breathing he was hospitalized and later passed.
The professional wrestling world has been mourning the loss of Okerlund. WWE Hall Of Famer Jesse Ventura offered his thoughts on “Mean” Gene’s passing:
“In an interview, I laughingly called him ‘the Mean Gene Hot Air Machine,’ and the ‘Mean Gene’ stuck,” Ventura said. “I’m proud that I gave him a nickname that will stick with him forever.”
In his last appearance on WWE TV, Okerlund interviewed then-WWE Champion AJ Styles. This occurred during the RAW 25th-anniversary special last year. Check it out below:
