The wrestling world lost a true legend today with the passing of Terry Funk. The WWE Hall Of Famer and former NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion was 79.
Close friend and fellow legend Mick Foley took to social media to announce the loss of his friend, noting that he got word from his daughter Brandee:
WE JUST LOST A LEGEND
Terry Funk is gone. I just talked to Terry’s daughter, Brandee, who gave me the awful news. He was my mentor, my idol, and one of my closest friends. He was the greatest wrestler I ever saw.
If you get the chance, look up a Terry Funk match or a Terry Funk promo, and give thanks that this incredible man gave so much, for so long, to so many. There will never be another like him. May God bless Terry, his friends, family and all who loved him. RIP my dear friend – it was an honor to know you. #RIPTerryFunk
I will be writing much more about Terry in the next few days.
Funk is survived by his older brother Dory and his two daughters, Stacy and Brandee. He lost his beloved wife Vicki in 2019.
The Legend Of Terry Funk
Terry Funk was one of the few wrestling talents who could play a heel just as well as a babyface and his father, Dory Sr. was a pro wrestler who operated a boys youth school down in Texas. Based out of Amarillo, TX, Terry and Dory Jr. carried on their father’s legacy by wrestling all over the country and eventually in Japan for Giant Baba. While Dory Jr. became an established NWA World Champion, Terry cultivated classic rivalries with the likes of Ric Flair, Jerry Lawler, Mick Foley, Atsushi Onita and countless others
As wrestling changed with the times, so did Terry Funk, who reinvented himself in the 1990s and became the name star to help get ECW fired off as the hot underground promotion. Funk was known for his wild nature, but also was one of the early wrestling talents to get a career in Hollywood, mainly doing it so he and his family could have health insurance.
We at Inside The Ropes would like to send our prayers and deepest condolences to Terry Funk, his family, friends and fans at this time.