WRESTLING BABYLON: List Of 11 Wrestlers Under Age 50 Who Died In 2007

Courtesy of Irvin Muchnick:

http://muchnick.net/babylon/2007/12/29/list-of-11-wrestlers-under-age-50-who-died-in-2007/ (See also: "Why Wrestling Dodged the Congressional Bullet," http://muchnick.net/babylon/2007/12/29/why-wrestling-dodged-the-congressional-bullet/)

I’ll go out on a limb here and predict that no more pro wrestlers under age 50 will die in the last three days of 2007. If so, the number will hold at 11. The appendix of my book Wrestling Babylon listed 89 other performers from 1985 through 2006 who didn’t make it to their 50th birthdays. That study was far from complete, but it occurs to me that our little corner of wrestling necrology has now counted an even 100.

Here’s the roll call for this year:

JANUARY 19
Scott “Bam Bam” Bigelow, 45. Hudson, Florida. Cocaine, painkillers, etc.

FEBRUARY 17
Michael “Mike Awesome” Alfonso, 42. Tampa, Florida. Suicide by hanging.

JUNE 15
Sherri Russell (“Sherri Martel”), 49. Birmingham, Alabama. Painkillers.

JUNE 24
Shayne “Biff Wellington” Bower, 44. Lloydminster, Alberta. “Heart attack.”

Around JUNE 22
Nancy “Woman” Benoit, 43. Fayette County, Georgia. Strangled to death with a cord by her husband, Chris Benoit.

Around JUNE 24
Chris Benoit, 40. Fayette County, Georgia. Suicide by hanging.

JULY 4
Nathan “Moondog Nathan” Randolph, 37. Athens, Alabama. “Heart attack.”

Around JULY 12
James “Devil Bhukakan” Fawcett, 31. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Suicide by hanging.

JULY 18
George “John Kronus” Caiazzo, 38. Laconia, New Hampshire. “Heart failure.”

AUGUST 13
Brian “Crush” Adams, 40. Tampa, Florida. Painkillers, antidepressants, etc.

DECEMBER 23
Greg “Mr. Gillis” Gillies, 44. British Columbia. “Heart attack.”