Anyone who grew up watching professional wrestling in the 1980s or ’90s knows the name — and the voice — of “Mean” Gene Okerlund. The legendary announcer passed away Wednesday at the age of 76, World Wrestling Entertainment announced.
Okerlund, billed in his obituary by the WWE as “the most recognizable interviewer in sports-entertainment history,” was an on-air staple for the then-WWF for the better part of two decades.
He started with the company in 1984 and remained with the WWE into the mid-90s before he made the jump to the now-defunct WCW.
In his later years, Okerlund would make sporadic returns to TV where fans were treated to a bit of nostalgia, whether it was his appearance at “WrestleMania 17” or on the WWE Network show “Legends House.” Okerlund even appeared less than a year ago at the 25th anniversary show of “Monday Night RAW.”
