Sadly, Terry Funk is dead at 79 years old. The WWE Hall of Famer is best known for his hardcore style with appearances in Japan, ECW, WCW and WWE.
Terry Funk Is Dead At 79 Years Old
The hardcore icon and someone who spent 50 years in the pro wrestling business, Terry Funk is dead at 79. The news was first broken on Twitter by Ric Flair and Mick Foley also paid tribute.
Funk was predeceased by his wife, Vicki, and leaves behind two daughters, Stacy and Brandee. No cause of the death was reveled at this time.
In the early days, Terry teamed with his brother, Dory Funk Jr., as they followed what their father did. Terry Funk worked 12 years for Championship Wrestling from Florida, where he won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
He kept the belt for over a year until Harley Race gained the title. After leaving the promotion, he worked for other companies like All Japan Pro Wrestling, WCW, WWE, ECW and plenty more.
Funk was heavily promoted in ECW, winning the ECW Championship twice and taking on top names. He has been credited for helping make ECW popular.
There was another short run for Funk in WWE, this time going as Chainsaw Charlie and teaming with Cactus Jack. They briefly held tag team gold before Funk departed WWE.
In 2009, Terry Funk and Dory Funk Jr. were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Terry wrestled several more times before finally retiring in 2017; and this one stuck.
Later, during 2021, Funk was diagnosed with dementia. Pictures circulated online when friends would visit and seemed happy.
From everyone at Wrestle Newz, we send out condolences to the friends and family of Terry Funk.
So, with the unfortunate news that Terry Funk is dead, what are some memories our readers have during his lengthy and hardcore pro wrestling career?
