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The wrestling fraternity is saddened by yet another loss – the death of former WWWF World Heavyweight Champion.

‘The Russain Bear’ Ivan Koloff who has been suffering from a liver cancer has eventually passed away at the age of 74.

Reports revealed that Koloff suffered not only from a liver failure, but also from Jaundice and acute breathing problems. Before death caught up with him, his sister had started a Go Fund Me page in order to collect funds for his liver issues.

The former WWWF World Heavyweight Champion was most honoured for his ending Bruno Sammartino’s 2803 day reign (a record that will never be broken. Never!) as WWWF World Heavyweight Champion on January 18th, 1971. Koloff was a Canadian, yet his character was that of a villain from Ukraine who went up with the best of the best from the 1970s.

Apart from Sammartino, Koloff faced many legendary stalwarts such as Bob Backlund and Superstar Billy Graham. Koloff had a very successful run in the Jimmy Crocket Promotions too, where his feuds with the Rock n’ Roll Express and The Road Warriors were the most noteworthy. His matches with Dusty Rhodes are the stuff of legends.

Another awful thing is that Koloff is the fourth death among pro wrestling circles in such a short span of time. Chavo Guererro Sr., George Steele (who was one of Koloff’s noteworthy opponents), Nicole Bass and Jimmy Snuka have all departed from this world in the last few weeks.

Hence, wrestlingnewsplus.com sends her warm condolences to Koloff’s family and friends. May his soul rest in peace.
The world of wrestling is saddened by the loss and many notable names took to Twitter to convey their condolences:

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