WWE announcer "Mean" Gene Okerlund passes away at age 76

Source: Bryan Bedder / Getty

“Mean” Gene Okerlund Dead At Age 76

For those of you who remember when the WWE was the WWF, you’ll undoubtedly be as saddened as we are at this breaking news.

Legendary ringside announcer “Mean” Gene Okerlund has passed away at age 76.

In his early days, “Mean Gene”, as he was named by fellow Minnesotan, Jesse “The Body” Ventura first came to prominence by interviewing the greatest stars of the AWA, including Ventura, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and Hulk Hogan. In 1984, Okerlund made the move to WWE where he became a staple on national cable television by continuing to interview the biggest names in sports-entertainment like Hogan, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior and many more.

Okerlund branched out from interviewing by providing ringside commentary and hosting several shows, including All-American Wrestling, Tuesday Night Titans, Wrestling Challenge and Prime Time Wrestling. Announcing wasn’t all that Okerlund could do with a microphone, as his distinct voice sung the National Anthem at the first WrestleMania in 1985. Later that year, Okerlund would sing “Tutti Frutti” on WWE’s The Wrestling Album.

As you can imagine, this is a huge loss for the wrestling community and the tweets are pouring in from current grapplers and those who worked with Gene in the past.

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