The “Godfather of Grappling,” Gene LeBell, known best for his incredible martial arts skills has died aged eighty-nine.
LeBell was a legendary stuntman, martial artist, and wrestler, and the news has hit fellow sports stars pretty hard.
Many have shared tributes to their idol on social media, showing just how influential LeBell was.
Professional wrestler Triple H shared a heartfelt message about LeBell on Twitter, praising him for his incredible life.
“Gene LeBell remained a towering figure in the history and expansion of mixed martial arts and sports entertainment,” he wrote. “A teacher to many of the sport’s greats, his influence is felt throughout @WWE to this day.”
LeBell first shot to fame after he won both the heavyweight and Amateur Athletic Union National Judo Championships way back in 1954 and then again the year after.
LeBell is best known for his grappling style, which he famously introduced into pro wrestling and MMA during his career in the ring.
And if that wasn’t impressive enough, he even fought in the first-ever televised MMA match in America in 1963, where ‘judo beat boxing.’
He impressively beat Milo Savage who was labeled a top light-heavyweight boxer at the time of the fight.
After that, he went on to train the likes of Hollywood icons, Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee, who are famed for their fighting styles.
As well as his unmatched track record, he has also appeared in hundreds of movies over the years.
Sadly, his time in the ring has come to an end, but his legacy will undoubtedly live on.
He reportedly passed away on Tuesday.
Our thoughts go out to his family and friends during this difficult time.
Rest in peace, Gene LeBell.
We are already more than halfway through 2022, and sadly this year alone we have lost a lot of memorable celebrities.
Whether that’s musicians, actors, or artists, there have been many notable losses of people that have touched our lives in some way or another. And we’d like to take some time to remember them for their talents…
Who better to start the tributes of our most loved celebrities than James Caan.
Caan most notably played the role of Santino “Sonny” Corleone in the hit movie The Godfather, which earned him an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He also appeared in Misery and Elf which just proves what great range he had. He passed away on July 6, aged eighty-two.
Tony Sirico…
Sharing Caan’s love of gangsta roles, Sirico, who started out on the big screen in 1974, appeared in Goodfellas as Tony Stacks. He also famously played the character Paulie Walnuts in The Sopranos. He died on July 8 aged seventy-nine.
Ray Liotta…
We have sadly lost another star from Goodfellas this year, Liotta played the mobster Henry Hill and most recently appeared in Shades of Blue, with Jennifer Lopez. He died on May 26, aged sixty-seven.
Mary Mara…
Mara was a TV and theatre actor. Police believe she drowned while swimming in the St. Lawrence River. She was sixty-one.
Margaret Keane…
Keane was a famous painter, who only received acclaim for her work twenty years after her husband rose to fame for passing her work off as his own. He was eventually found out. She continued to paint until her death at the age of ninety-four.
Naomi Judd…
Judd was a well-known country singer who performed with her daughter in the band Judds, together the pair won 5 Grammy Awards and even made it into the Country Music Hall of Fame. She died on April 30, aged seventy-six.
Robert Morse…
Morse started out on Broadway way back in 1955, which catapulted his career in showbiz, later on in his career he took to acting on TV and won many accolades for his performances. His most notable TV performance was as Bertram Cooper in Mad Men. He died on April 20, aged ninety.
Gilbert Gottfried…
We all know Gottfried as the incredible comedian with the iconic shrill voice. He notably appeared on Saturday Night Live, and also played the parrot Iago in Disney’s Aladdin. Sadly, he died on April 12, aged sixty-seven.
Estelle Harris…
Harris was most well known for her role as Estelle Costanza on the sitcom Seinfeld. She also took on voice work for Mrs. Potato Head in the animated movie Toy Story. She died on April 3, aged ninety-three.
Tom Parker…
Parker was a singer from the popular British boyband The Wanted. Sadly, in 2020, he was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer. He died on March 30, aged just thirty-three.
Taylor Hawkins…
Hawkins was famously known for being the drummer for Foo Fighters, he played with the band for twenty-five years, and gained a lot of fans in the process. He died on March 25, aged fifty.
Scott Hall…
Hall, known as Razor Ramon, was a pro wrestler who founded the New World Order, with Hulk Hogan and Kevin Nash. He died on March 14 shortly after getting a hip replacement, suffering multiple heart attacks before he passed. He was sixty-three.
William Hurt…
Hurt worked in TV, Theater, and Film during his illustrious career in Hollywood. He was nominated for 4 Academy Awards and won an Oscar for Best Actor in 1985. He died on March 13, aged seventy-one.
Emilio Delgado…
The Mexican-American actor worked on the children’s TV show Sesame Street for over forty years and was a huge part of our lives growing up. He also appeared in other TV shows, such as Law & Order. He died on March 10, aged eighty-one.
Sally Kellerman…
Kellerman was in the spotlight for over 5 decades, starring in TV shows before going on to play notable parts such as Margaret Houlihan in MASH, and recently the mother of Mark Maron in Maron. She died on February 24, aged eighty-four.
Ivan Reitman…
Reitman was an incredible director, working on such movies as Ghostbusters, and Twins. He died at home in California on February 12, aged seventy-five.
Betty Davis…
Davis needs very little introduction, the funk singer was well known for her incredible vocals. After less than a decade in the industry, she decided to leave. But she’s still famous for her iconic hits. She died on February 9, aged seventy-seven.
Manfred Thierry Mugler…
Mugler was a well-known French fashion designer who worked with some of the greats during his career. He was most notably responsible for creating Kim Kardashian’s wet-look dress for the Met Gala in 2019. He died on January 23, aged seventy-three.
Marvin Lee Aday (Meat Loaf)…
Meat Loaf sold over 100 million albums worldwide. The rock music icon not only had incredible skill with words, but his theatrical performances were next level. He died on January 20, aged seventy-four.
Louie Anderson…
Anderson had a long career as a stand-up comedian and also worked in television for a short time, gaining an Emmy for his role on Baskets. He sadly died from cancer on January 21, aged sixty-eight.
Gaspard Ulliel…
The French actor was best known for playing young Hannibal in Hannibal Rising and was scheduled to make an appearance in the Marvel series, Moon Knight. However, he sadly died in a freak skiing accident on January 19, aged thirty-seven.
Bob Saget…
Saget was best known for his role as Danny Tanner in the hit TV show Full House, and appeared in a range of TV shows and movies over the years. Although fans know him best as a stand-up comedian. He died on January 9 aged sixty-five.
Michael Lang…
Lang was the co-creator of the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival which began in 1969. It was a hugely historic event for the music industry. He died on January 8, aged seventy-seven.
Sidney Poitier…
Poitier was the first black actor to win an Academy Award for his role in Lillies of the Field, in which he won best actor. He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Poitier died on January 6, aged ninety-four.
Lenny Von Dohlen…
The actor played the character Harold Smith on the original Twin Peaks, he also appeared in the movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. He died on July 5 at the age of sixty-three.
Joe Turkel…
Turkel was best known for his roles in The Shining and Blade Runner, and over the course of his career appeared in over 100 films and TV shows! He died on June 27, aged ninety-four.
Lil Keed…
Keed was a rapper and only starting out in his career when he suffered sudden liver and kidney failure leading to his tragic death. He died on March 13, aged just twenty-four.
Bruce MacVittie…
The veteran stage actor also dabbled in TV and is famously known for his appearances in The Sopranos and Law & Order. He died on May 7 at the age of sixty-five.
Mike Hagerty…
Hagerty was best known for playing the janitor Mr. Treeger on Friends, but more recently appeared on the sitcoms; The George Carlin Show and Lucky Louie. He died on May 5, aged sixty-seven.
Joanna Barnes…
Barnes was an actress and writer best known for her roles in hit movies The Parent Trap and Auntie Mame. She died on April 29, aged eighty-seven.
Jossara Jinaro…
Jinaro appeared on a range of TV shows such as ER, The Young and the Restless, and Judging Amy. She died after a battle with cancer on April 27, aged forty-eight.
Liz Sheridan…
Sheridan was a veteran actress, who played Jerry’s overbearing mom on the show Seinfeld. She also appeared in several theatre and TV productions over her career. She died on April 15 of natural causes. Sheridan was ninety-three.
Rae Allen…
Allen was best known for her roles in The Sopranos and A League of Their Own. She died on April 6, aged ninety-five.
Cheslie Kryst…
Kryst was Miss USA back in 2019 and worked with Extra. She died on January 30, aged thirty, after allegedly jumping from a building in New York.
Moses J. Moseley…
Moseley worked on the hit TV show The Walking Dead as one of Michonne’s guard zombies. He died on January 26, aged thirty-one.
Olivia Newton-John…
Grease star Newton-John tragically passed away after a long battle with cancer aged 73.