29 Wrestlers Who Died In 2019

Harley Race's longtime friend Dustin Rhodes made the sad announcement on 1 August that the multiple-time Hall of Famer had died, six months after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. He was 76-years-old.

Harley Leland Race was born in Quitman, MO, on 11 April 1943. Combating polio as a child didn't stunt his growth one bit, and by the final year of high school, he was a strapping lad of 6'11", 225lbs. It was during this time that an altercation with a classmate resulted in his expulsion from the school, allowing him to concentrate on his wrestling training under the tutelage of Wladek and Stanislaus Zbyszko.

Race's first gig in the business proper was as chauffeur to St. Joseph's Happy Humphrey, who at 800lbs was too large to drive his own vehicle. Little by little, the rookie broke into the ring, first competing in the Nashville area under the name Jack Long.

Just as his budding career was picking up momentum, tragedy truck. A car accident nearly resulted in his leg being amputated; his pregnant wife, Vivian, died immediately.

When promoter Gust Karras heard about Race's plight, he rushed to the hospital to stop the surgery; he wasn't prepared to see the youngster's time in the ring come to a sudden end. Nevertheless, doctors told Harley he'd never wrestle again.

They were wrong. After years of intense physical therapy, Race eventually returned to the ring in 1964 for Terry Funk's Amarillo territory. This time, he went under his given name. It was in Texas that he linked up with Larry Hennig, and the pair would later move on to the AWA together.

The team won title after title in Minneapolis. Similar solo success was not far off. In 1973, Race defeated Dory Funk to claim his first NWA World Heavyweight Championship, in an outcome which stunned the Kansas City audience. Over the next eleven years, he'd win the belt a further seven times, beating the likes of Terry Funk, Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair.

Race's final reign with the big gold belt memorably ended in 1983, when he lost a violent steel cage match against Ric Flair at the inaugural Starrcade. The torch duly passed to his natural successor, Race departed the NWA, and by 1986 was on the books of WWE alongside close friend Bobby Heenan.

In order to push the newcomer as the star everybody knew he was outwith the company, without directly referencing his accolades, WWE crowned Race the winner of their King of the Ring tournament. The 'King's most notable programme came opposite Junkyard Dog, who he summarily dismissed at WrestleMania III. After the contest, the fallen opponent was stipulated to bow at Race's feet; instead, he assaulted him with a steel chair, to the rapture of the 79,000 people in attendance.

After winding his wrestling career down, Race left WWE in 1990, subsequently alighting in WCW. He gradually transitioned into a managerial role, and could mostly frequently be seen cackling at the side of Lex Luger and Big Van Vader.

A second car accident in 1995, which resulted in a hip replacement, put an end to Race's career for good. He made a final WCW appearance in 1999 as the guest ring announcer for Bret Hart's tribute match to Owen Hart against Chris Benoit, followed by sporadic cameos in WWE thereafter.

In 2007, Race was inducted into WWE's Hall of Fame. The Missouri legend saw his name enshrined on nine such occasions, immortalised by esteemed bodies including the NWA, Wrestling Observer and Professional Wrestling Halls of Fame.