Wrestling Legend Captain Lou Albano Dies
Posted by Harris Lentz in OBITS by Harris Lentz, III on November 6th, 2009
Captain Lou Albano was a legendary wrestling manager at the forefront when the WWF (now WWE) initiated the Rock `n’ Wrestling storyline in the mid-1980s. Sporting an unwieldy beard, accented by rubber bands and the occasional paperclip, his storyline feud with pop star Cyndi Lauper helped propel wrestling into mainstream popularity. Albano also appeared with Lauper in her music video for Girls Just Want to Have Fun, and in her contribution to the soundtrack of the 1985 film The Goonies. Lauper’s video, Goonies `R’ good enough for me, also featured cameos from wrestlers Rowdy Roddy Piper, the Iron Sheik, Freddie Blassie, and Steven Spielberg.
Albano was born in Rome, Italy, on July 29, 1933, and came to the United States with his family as a child. He began his wrestling career in Montreal, Canada, in 1953. He later teamed with Tony Altimore to portray a villainous pair of wrestling gangsters known as the Sicilians, winning several championship titles. A familiar face in the WWF Albano soon made the transition to announcer and manager, becoming one of the most colorful figures in the business. He managed numerous single and tag team title champions and contenders during the 1970s and 1980s.
His feud with Lauper culminated in the first MTV/WWF cross-promotion “The Brawl to End It All”, with Albano managing women’s champion the Fabulous Moolah, and Lauper in the corner of challenger Wendy Richter. The challenger won the bout and Albano and Lauper soon became allies. The storyline continued through the WWF’s first Wrestlemania in 1985.
Albano was also a character in the cartoon series Hulk Hogan’s Rock `n’ Wrestling from 1985 to 1987, with George DiCenzo voicing the role. He was featured in several films including the sci-fi/comedy Stay Tuned (1992) with John Ritter. Albano also starred as Mario in the live-action segments of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! from 1989 to 1991, and voiced his animated counterpart.
Albano died at his home in Carmel, New York, on October 14, 2009, at age 76.
