'Superstar' Billy Graham Passes Away - Wrestling Legend Dead At 79
Influential wrestling icon 'Superstar' Billy Graham has passed away following years of ill health.
'Superstar' Billy Graham has passed away at 79 years old, days after it had emerged that doctors had advised the professional wrestling legend should be taken off life support.
Graham, who had battled myriad health problems for decades, was in hospital for months prior to his passing, having undergone emergency surgery for an organ failure earlier this month. He is survived by a wife, Valerie, whom he married in 1978, daughter Capella, and son Joey.
'Superstar' is one of the most influential professional wrestlers ever. His fingerprints are all over today's product, even roughly fifty years removed from his prime, and had a profound impact on some of the biggest names the sport has ever seen. The likes of Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Vince McMahon, Triple H, Steve Austin, and countless others all took cues from Graham, whose transformational influence on the business cannot be understated.
Training under Stu Hart from 1969 onwards, the former bodybuilder debuted for the then-WWWF in 1975, three years after forging his 'Superstar' persona. April 1977 saw him dethrone Bruno Sammartino as WWWF World Champion, ending Bruno's untouchable 2,803-day reign, before dropping the strap to Bob Backlund the following February.
Retiring in 1987, Graham struggled with injuries throughout the 1980s in particular, especially during his final WWF run. Between stints in Stamford, he was a key player in the NWA and AWA.
We at WhatCulture wish to extend our deepest thoughts and condolences to Graham's family, friends, and anyone else close to him.