A well respected member of of the MMA community along with pro wrestling has passed away at the age of 89 years old.
Bas Rutten shared the news that “Judo” Gene Lebell had passed away in a post on Facebook:
The great Gene Lebell, toughest man I know, has passed away and left us at the age of 89…. My deepest condolences to his lovely wife Midge, his kids and all his other family members and friends. You will be greatly missed Gene, I love you my friend, till we meet again!
Godspeed
RIPower
OSU
Bas Rutten on Facebook
“The Godfather of Grappling” left an indelible mark on the business as he worked with names ranging from Ronda Rousey to Roddy Piper. His knowledge of combat sports was renowned in both wrestling and MMA. Earlier in this career, Bryan Danielson’s Yes Lock was called The LeBell Lock as a sign of respect to LeBell.
Bodyslam.net offers condolences to Lebell’s family.
Follow Corey at @CoreyBrennanBS on Twitter
If you enjoy Bodyslam’s content, you can help donate to the site here. You can also visit our PWTees store and buy Bodyslam official merchandise here.
You can listen to all of Bodyslam’s podcasts by following us on Spotify and subscribing to our YouTube Channel, or any of your favorite podcast platforms.ⓘⓘⓘⓘⓘⓘⓘⓘ
