Stu Hart, the patriarch of the famous Hart wrestling family, passed away this afternoon at 2:25 PM Rocky Mountain Time, from what is believed to have been complications of pneumonia in Calgary, Albert Canada. A statement made by Bret Hart's office listed Stu's passing as "due to natural causes." He was 88.
Hart, one of the biggest names in professional wrestling to ever come out of Canada, had been hospitalized at Rockyview Hospital for the past week while being treated for an elbow infection stemming from a fall from home and a swollen stomach believed to have been caused by a instestinal infection. While in the hospital, Hart developed pneumonia.
Hart, the father of Bret Hart and the late Owen Hart, had a hand with training a number of top wrestling stars in the infamous "Dungeon" as well as promoting one of the more famous Canadian wrestling territories, Stampede Wrestling.
Hart's life had been told in the biography Stu Hart: Lord of the Ring by Martha Erb, published in March 2002.
He met Helen Smith at New York City's Madison Square Garden during an early foray into the business, and in 1947 married the woman who would give him 12 children.
The grappling promotion began as Big Time Wrestling, morphing into Wildcat Wrestling. Stampede Wrestling, born in 1953, was the final whistle stop for the enterprise -- a canvas of honest sweat and hard knocks, says Bret Hart.
"The matches down at the old Stampede Pavilion were the most realistic -- you don't get that today ... dad brought believability and you had to be pretty tough to get into his ring," said Bret.
Stampede was the incubator for a dazzling galaxy of stars who would go on to make it big in the U.S. "Even Jesse Ventura spent some time there," said son Bruce, who's carried on his father's work as a promoter.
A legendary storyteller, Hart would endlessly regale listeners of wrestling escapades and those that peopled them. "He loved the characters in wrestling," said Bret, adding he brought old wrestling programs to his father's hospital room even as he was dying.
In 2001, Hart was awarded the Order of Canada.
To read an article about the life and passing of the late Stu Hart from The Toronto Star, click Here.
Slam has an excellent article on their site entitled
Stu Hart, the wrestler, circa 1946. It's a good story about the early days of Stu Hart's wrestling career.
Stu Hart Photo Gallery
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