WWE Hall of Famer and Minnesota Wrestling Hall of Fame member Gene Okerlund has passed away at age 76.
In his early days, “Mean Gene”, as he was named by fellow Minnesotan, Jesse “The Body” Ventura first came to prominence by interviewing the greatest stars of the AWA, including Ventura, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and Hulk Hogan.
In 1984, Okerlund made the move to WWE where he became a staple on national cable television by continuing to interview the biggest names in wrestling.
WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer Gene Okerlund, the most recognizable interviewer in sports-entertainment history, has passed away at age 76. https://t.co/DyPiEiVLoV
— WWE (@WWE)
January 2, 2019 After studying broadcast journalism, Okerlund landed a job as a disc jockey at KOIL, a popular radio station in Omaha, Nebraska. Okerlund would later move to Minneapolis working for a local television station working in the front office. He was Gene Leader from 1969-1970 on WDGY in the Twin Cities doing 3:00-7:00pm before moving into wrestling announcing.
Okerlund has been married to his wife Jeanne since March 27, 1964 and has two children. Gene's son Todd starred on the University of Minnesota ice hockey team from 1983 to 1987. Todd played on the 1988 United States Olympics team that competed in Calgary. He played four games with the NHL's New York Islanders.
