Wrestling announcer ‘Mean Gene’ dead at 76

Gene Okerlund, a gentlemanly wrestling announcer who specialized in interviewing the biggest, loudest and most obnoxious professional grapplers in the business, died Jan. 2 at a hospital in Florida. He was 76. Short, bald, jowly and with a neatly trimmed moustache, Okerlund was a study in stark physical contrast to the athletes he interviewed. Okerlund’s unflappable interviews set the stage for the character development of widely known personalities such as Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Randy (Macho Man) Savage and the Ultimate Warrior. His nickname, Mean Gene, was reportedly bestowed upon him by wrestler Jesse Ventura as a joking homage to his understated personality on camera. Survivors include his wife of 54 years, Jeanne Okerlund; two sons, Todd Okerlund and Tor Okerlund; and three grandchildren. Todd had a brief professional hockey career with the New York Islanders.