!["Mean" Gene Okerlund, longtime wrestling announcer, has passed away, the WWE announced on Jan. 2, 2019. He is shown here in a screen capture from a WWE web page devoted to his memory. (WWE.com) [https://www.wwe.com/article/mean-gene-okerlund-passes-away?sf205241548=1]](https://twt-thumbs.washtimes.com/media/image/2019/01/02/Screen_Shot_2019-01-02_at_11.52.06_AM_c0-43-1265-780_s885x516.png?56a241dc20bdaaae1938cbed5ae6d6c93dd7de64)
“Mean” Gene Okerlund, a longtime fixture in the world of professional wrestling has died at the age of 76, WWE announced Wednesday.
“WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer Gene Okerlund, the most recognizable interviewer in sports-entertainment history, has passed away,” the former WWF said in a statement.
Born in 1942, Okerlund gained prominence in the 1980s as a ringside announcer, interviewer and color commentator. He was inducted in the WWF Hall of Fame by Hulk Hogan in 2006.
“Mean Gene I love you my brother,” Hogan reacted on Twitter early Wednesday.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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