WWE legend Black Bart has sadly passed away following a battle with cancer. The wrestler, who enjoyed a career spanning over three decades and reached its pinnacle in the 80s and 90s, was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer in 2022.
In December, his family disclosed that the 76 year old, whose real name is Rick Harris, had made the tough decision to cease chemotherapy treatment after their health insurance stopped covering the costs. At the time, the family stated that the aggressive treatment was “doing more damage than good” as it wasn’t improving his condition and was causing him pain.
They said: “He [Bart] has told me that he doesn’t want any more chemo, he feels that it’s doing more damage than good and I have to back him up on that. He doesn’t feel that he has given up he’s just not putting any more poison in his body. He is completely in God’s hands now. God’s will be done.”
However, a new statement released this morning reveals that he passed away yesterday (January 11). His wife Linda said: “You might know him as Black Bart but to me he was my husband Ricky. He left us this morning . He was pronounced at 5:26 this morning. He is Resting In Peace.”
Fellow WWE legend John Bradshaw Layfield paid tribute to him by posting a photo of him and Black Bart on X, reports the Daily Star.
He wrote: “Black Bart took me under his wing and taught me how to be a professional wrestler.
“We were tag champs in Texas-but we were also just buddies. We sat together in the dressing room while Bart spit in his trashcan and constantly joked about everything. Bart meant the world to me. I love you big brother. RIP”
Black Bart’s wrestling career was marked by numerous championship wins, particularly in the National Wrestling Alliance, where he claimed the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championships. He also secured the Continental Wrestling Association Heavyweight Championship twice in the late 1980s.
His final match took place in 1999, where he was defeated by Awesome Kong at the McKinney Roller Rink in Texas, as part of Texas Championship Wrestling’s TCW McKinney Mayhem event. Black Bart’s last WWE appearance was a dark match on episode 537 of WWF Superstars in January 1997, where he lost to Big Country.
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