May 6, 2002 Observer Newsletter: Deaths of Lou Thesz and Wahoo McDaniel

Of the tens of thousands of names that have graced this profession over the past 100 plus years, there have been stars too numerous to mention. There have been local and even national legends. There have been Hall of Famers and even a few true icons. But in every generation, there is only one immortal, someone who not only changed history, but in many ways, was history.

For most of the period from the late 1930s through the mid-1960s, that man was Lou Thesz. Some people were bigger television stars over a shorter period of time. A few were bigger drawing cards. Some were more famous in specific countries. But looking back, no one was bigger on a world wide stage.

Lou Thesz passed away at about 7:35 a.m. on 4/28, 19 days after undergoing open heart surgery in Orlando, FL, and four days after his 86th birthday. His wife, Charlie updated people regularly, using terms Lou lived his life with.

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