Sad news from Jake Shannon, Karl Gotch, one of the greatest living Catch wrestlers, has passed away:

...among his family and closest friends. Karl was a devoted husband, father, mentor, animal advocate, Holocaust concentration camp survivor, and one of the greatest Professional and Catch-As-Catch-Can Wrestlers in the 20th century, but Karl would have described himself as "just a kid from the waterfront". He would have been 83 years old in a few days.

He died in Tampa, Florida at 9:45pm EST on July 28th, 2007. Karl was fiercely independent and private and truly lived life on his own terms, ask anyone that knew him.

Karl's estate wishes he be granted privacy post-mortem. Anyone seeking to pay their respects is encouraged to donate to animal rescue, in particular Pit Bull terrier rescue. The Paw'd Squad Animal Rescue is a 501c3 non-profit organization and has already set up a rescue fund in Karl's name. All donations and contributions are tax deductible. These can be sent to:

Paw'd Squad Animal Rescue
P.O. Box 6564
Burbank, California 91510-6564

Alternatively, donations can be accepted at their website:

Paw'd Squad Animal Rescue

He will be missed.