Feb 19, 2009 11:36 am US/Central
Wrestling Legend Throws Man To Ground, Man Dies
Verne Gagne Was A Popular Pro Wrestler In Chicago In The 1950s
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (CBS) ―
-
-
Verne Gagne started the All-Star Wrestling TV show. (File)
CBS
Legendary early pro-wrestler Verne Gagne is implicated in the death of a fellow nursing home resident in Minnesota.
According to the Web site MinnPost.com,
Gagne, 82, threw another resident to the floor at the facility on Jan. 26.
The Web site reports that both the Gagne and his apparent victim, 97-year-old Helmut Gutmann, were living in the memory loss unit of Friendship Village in Bloomington, Minn.
Gutmann broke his hip after being thrown. Gutmann's daughter tells the Star Tribune of Minneapolis he died earlier this week.
No charges have been filed. Bloomington, Minn., police say they are investigating an incident at Friendship Village but won't confirm the identities of those involved. An official at the home did not immediately return a call for comment.
Reached by phone, a Gagne family member declined comment. A message left at the office of the family's attorney was not immediately returned.
Gagne was a celebrity across the Midwest starting in the 1950s, particularly in Chicago. He was awarded the Chicago Version of the National Wrestling Association Heavyweight Championship in 1953 and 1958.
Chicagoans may also remember Gagne from his days on local television, wrestling at the old International Amphitheatre.
Gagne later founded the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling Association, and started the AWA All-Star Wrestling TV show.
He played football at the University of Minnesota, and was also drafted for the Bears in 1947, although he never played for the team.
MinnPost said both Gagne and Gutmann were suffering from complications of Alzheimer's disease.
WCCO-TV and the Associated Press contributed this report.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Celebrity Watcher: Real Or Fake?
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
