Captain Lou Albano has died
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14 years 6 months ago #1
by lioneltrainguy
Captain Lou Albano has died was created by lioneltrainguy
Pro wrestler, music video icon Albano dies at 76
By: CRISTIAN SALAZAR
The Associated Press
Professional wrestler and pop culture icon Captain Lou Albano has died in New York. He was 76.
"Captain" Lou Albano, who became one of the most recognized professional wrestlers of the 1980s after appearing in Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" music video, died Wednesday.
Albano, whose real name was Louis Vincent Albano, died in Westchester County in suburban New York, said Dawn Marie, founder of Wrestlers Rescue, an organization that helps raise money for the health care of retired wrestlers. He died of natural causes, Marie said.
World Wrestling Entertainment called him one of the company's "most popular and charismatic legends."
With his trademark Hawaiian shirts, wiry goatee and rubber bands hung like piercings from his cheek, Albano was an outsize personality who, in a career spanning nearly five decades, was known as much for his showmanship as for his talent in the ring.
His fame skyrocketed when he appeared in Lauper's landmark 1983 music video, playing a scruffy, overbearing father in a white tank top who gets shoved against a wall by the singer.
Partly because of the success of Albano's partnership with Lauper, the entity then known as the World Wrestling Federation forged ties with the music industry. That helped bring it to a wider national audience in the mid-1980s, known as the "Rock n' Wrestling" era.
"When the Captain hit the screen with the video, it gave us a whole new audience," said "Irish" Davey O'Hannon, a professional wrestler who knew Albano since the 1970s. "When that came out, let me tell you, it just rocketed."
It was a time when wrestlers such as Albano, Hulk Hogan, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Andre the Giant were so popular that they could headline a television cartoon series and appear in movies.
Albano later had a role in the music video for Lauper's 1984 song "Time After Time," and he appeared in episodes of the TV series "Miami Vice" and in the 1986 movie "Body Slam." He played Mario in "The Super Mario Bros. Super Show," a live-action animated show, from 1989 to 1991.
His career in the ring began in 1953 in Canada, and he went on to form the "The Sicilians" tag team with Tony Altimore. They were known for wearing fedoras and talking about the Mafia in interviews, according to the book "WWE Legends" by Brian Solomon.
Albano also coached popular tag teams such as The Wild Samoans, The Executioners and The Moondogs. He retired from the WWE in 1996.
Albano was born on July 29, 1933, in Rome. After moving to the U.S., the family settled in Mount Vernon, N.Y. Survivors include his wife, Geri, four children and 14 grandchildren.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Professional wrestler and pop culture icon Captain Lou Albano has died in New York. He was 76.
Wrestlers Rescue founder Dawn Marie says Albano died today of natural causes. Lou had suffered a major heart attack back in 2005 and had been having health problems ever since. Contrary to popular belief, Lou was not suffering from cancer leading up to his death. Wrestlers Rescue helped raise funds for Albano's care after he was placed in hospice care after his heart attack.
Lou had a four-decade career in wrestling that started off as a wrestler in the tag team Sicilians. Albano eventually moved on to managing wrestlers. Lou managed 15 WWE tag team champions as well as WWE title holder Ivan Koloff. Albano also helped bring wrestling to national prominence alongside Hulk Hogan and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper back in the early ‘80s, but it was a starring role as Cyndi Lauper's father in the 1983 music video for "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" that shot him into pop superstardom. He’ll truly be missed.
Cyndi Lauper - "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"
By: CRISTIAN SALAZAR
The Associated Press
Professional wrestler and pop culture icon Captain Lou Albano has died in New York. He was 76.
"Captain" Lou Albano, who became one of the most recognized professional wrestlers of the 1980s after appearing in Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" music video, died Wednesday.
Albano, whose real name was Louis Vincent Albano, died in Westchester County in suburban New York, said Dawn Marie, founder of Wrestlers Rescue, an organization that helps raise money for the health care of retired wrestlers. He died of natural causes, Marie said.
World Wrestling Entertainment called him one of the company's "most popular and charismatic legends."
With his trademark Hawaiian shirts, wiry goatee and rubber bands hung like piercings from his cheek, Albano was an outsize personality who, in a career spanning nearly five decades, was known as much for his showmanship as for his talent in the ring.
His fame skyrocketed when he appeared in Lauper's landmark 1983 music video, playing a scruffy, overbearing father in a white tank top who gets shoved against a wall by the singer.
Partly because of the success of Albano's partnership with Lauper, the entity then known as the World Wrestling Federation forged ties with the music industry. That helped bring it to a wider national audience in the mid-1980s, known as the "Rock n' Wrestling" era.
"When the Captain hit the screen with the video, it gave us a whole new audience," said "Irish" Davey O'Hannon, a professional wrestler who knew Albano since the 1970s. "When that came out, let me tell you, it just rocketed."
It was a time when wrestlers such as Albano, Hulk Hogan, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Andre the Giant were so popular that they could headline a television cartoon series and appear in movies.
Albano later had a role in the music video for Lauper's 1984 song "Time After Time," and he appeared in episodes of the TV series "Miami Vice" and in the 1986 movie "Body Slam." He played Mario in "The Super Mario Bros. Super Show," a live-action animated show, from 1989 to 1991.
His career in the ring began in 1953 in Canada, and he went on to form the "The Sicilians" tag team with Tony Altimore. They were known for wearing fedoras and talking about the Mafia in interviews, according to the book "WWE Legends" by Brian Solomon.
Albano also coached popular tag teams such as The Wild Samoans, The Executioners and The Moondogs. He retired from the WWE in 1996.
Albano was born on July 29, 1933, in Rome. After moving to the U.S., the family settled in Mount Vernon, N.Y. Survivors include his wife, Geri, four children and 14 grandchildren.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Professional wrestler and pop culture icon Captain Lou Albano has died in New York. He was 76.
Wrestlers Rescue founder Dawn Marie says Albano died today of natural causes. Lou had suffered a major heart attack back in 2005 and had been having health problems ever since. Contrary to popular belief, Lou was not suffering from cancer leading up to his death. Wrestlers Rescue helped raise funds for Albano's care after he was placed in hospice care after his heart attack.
Lou had a four-decade career in wrestling that started off as a wrestler in the tag team Sicilians. Albano eventually moved on to managing wrestlers. Lou managed 15 WWE tag team champions as well as WWE title holder Ivan Koloff. Albano also helped bring wrestling to national prominence alongside Hulk Hogan and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper back in the early ‘80s, but it was a starring role as Cyndi Lauper's father in the 1983 music video for "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" that shot him into pop superstardom. He’ll truly be missed.
Cyndi Lauper - "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"
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14 years 6 months ago #2
by lioneltrainguy
Replied by lioneltrainguy on topic Captain Lou Albano has died
Cyndi Lauper praises wrestler 'Captain' Lou Albano
NEW YORK—Cyndi Lauper says that professional wrestler "Captain" Lou Albano took her up the music charts.
The singer said Thursday that she was lucky to work with Albano on her music videos in the 1980s.
The rambunctious showman and wrestler died Wednesday in New York of natural causes.
Albano's fame skyrocketed when he appeared in Lauper's 1983 "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" music video, playing the singer's dad.
Lauper says that Albano took her up the charts "from 10, to 5, to 4 to 1, to minus 5 and back up to 1 again."
She says it was "great fun, too."
Albano was one of the most recognized figures in the World Wrestling Federation during the 1980s, alongside such ring pros as Hulk Hogan and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.
NEW YORK—Cyndi Lauper says that professional wrestler "Captain" Lou Albano took her up the music charts.
The singer said Thursday that she was lucky to work with Albano on her music videos in the 1980s.
The rambunctious showman and wrestler died Wednesday in New York of natural causes.
Albano's fame skyrocketed when he appeared in Lauper's 1983 "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" music video, playing the singer's dad.
Lauper says that Albano took her up the charts "from 10, to 5, to 4 to 1, to minus 5 and back up to 1 again."
She says it was "great fun, too."
Albano was one of the most recognized figures in the World Wrestling Federation during the 1980s, alongside such ring pros as Hulk Hogan and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.
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