- A former WWE star has died after a lengthy battle with cancer
- He recently stopped chemotherapy after his insurance expired
- Heartfelt tributes have poured in from WWE stars past and present
Ex-WWE star Black Bart has died at the age of 76 after a three-year battle with cancer.
The American wrestler – whose real name was Richard Harris – was diagnosed with cancer in 2022 and had undergone chemotherapy.
However, he recently had to stop treatment after his insurance expired, and now he has sadly passed away.
His wife Linda confirmed the news on social media on Thursday.
She wrote on Harris’ Facebook page: ‘You may know him as Black Bart, but to me he was my man Ricky. He left us this morning.
‘He was pronounced at 5.26am this morning. He rests in peace.’
Former WWE star Black Bart (photo) has died at the age of 76
Black Bart (right) trained former champion JBL (left), who is now a WWE commentator
Harris began his wrestling career in 1975 and fought for more than a quarter century before retiring in 2002.
He then turned to training, with John Bradshaw Layfield being his standout student.
Layfield later became a multiple-time WWE Champion and is now an ambassador and commentator for the company.
He posted a heartfelt tribute to Harris on We were tag champions in Texas, but we were also just friends.
‘We sat together in the locker room while Bart spit in his trash can and made jokes about everything all the time. Bart meant everything to me. I love you, big brother. TEAR.’
Dusty Rhodes, the father of current undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, also took to X to write, “Black Bart taught me a lot in my younger years. I loved him to death. He will be missed.”