Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, long considered one of the greatest wrestling managers of all time, passed away Sunday afternoon. He was 73 years old.
WWE Hall of Famer Ross tweeted that he learned the news and that he is extremely saddened to hear of Heenan's passing.
Born Raymond Louis Heenan in 1943, Heenan is best known for his manager work in the American Wrestling Association (AWA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Federation (WWF/E). Heenan is widely considered one of the greatest heel managers in the history of pro wrestling.
Heenan has faced numerous health issues in the past, especially in the last 15 years. In 2002, Heenan was diagnosed with throat cancer and has had several reconstructive surgeries done to repair his jaw. Heenan also broke his hip last year. Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp was told that Heenan's condition has been rapidly declining over the last three weeks.
The list of great wrestlers Heenan has managed throughout his illustrious career include the likes of Rick Rude, Ric Flair, Don Muraco, Andre the Giant, Lex Luger, Nikolai Volkoff, Paul Orndorff, Adrian Adonis, King Kong Bundy, Mr. Perfect and many more. Heenan is also known for creating "The Heenan Family," a stable of heel wrestlers managed by Heenan that has gone through numerous incarnations over the years.
Heenan also spent time as a commentator alongside Gorilla Monsoon on WWE television in the 1990s, where his back-and-forth arguments with Monsoon were a highlight on a lot of WWE programming. Heenan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004.
More details on Heenan's passing will be provided as soon as they are made available. On behalf of Fightful, our thoughts and prayers go out to Heenan's family and friends.
