Beloved former bad guy Kowalski dies at 81

Legendary pro wrestler Walter "Killer" Kowalski passed away late Friday night at a Massachesetts hospital at the age of 81.

Kowalski had spent several months at a nursing home earlier this year due to knee problems.

Kowalski, who had been in ill health for quite some time, had been taken off life support nearly two weeks ago following a massive heart attack on Aug. 8.

Kowalski, whose in-ring career spanned three decades and thousands of bouts, was one of the top heels (bad guys) of his era. After retiring in 1977, he began training wrestlers, and his students included such names as Triple H, Chyna, Big John Studd, Perry Saturn, John Kronus, Matt "A-Train" Bloom and Frankie Kazarian.

Kowalski, one of the most beloved men in the business, was a father figure for many of those students.

Don Bravo described attending a birthday party for his trainer.

"Walter led his band of merry men to one of his favorite restaurants. Six or seven large, scarred men with broken noses and tattoos sat around a table, and we became 7- and 8-year-olds listening to our favorite uncle tell war stories. What we were were disciples, breaking break, listening to our master. And his sermon would be "Love one another as I have loved you.'"

"Anyone who knows me knows that I have always attributed Walter with all of my success in pro wrestling," Kazarian wrote on his blog. "He took in a 20-year-old kid who had traveled 3,000 miles from southern California, and embraced him like a son. He was kind enough to pass on his extensive and unique knowledge of this business to me. From day one, Walter became my trainer, and my friend. He guided me through every step of pro wrestling, but more importantly, taught me how to be a genuine, good person, and to treat others with respect, dignity and class. I owe so much to Walter that I could never put it all in words. The time we spent together is and always will be some of the most precious memories I have, and I will keep it in a special place in my heart."

Kowalski, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born to Polish immigrants in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, traveled the world many times over and was one of pro wrestling's major attractions during its golden age in the '50s when the business gained a foothold on the new medium of television.

The 6-7, 285-pound WWE Hall of Famer earned his nickname in 1954 when an opponent, Yukon Eric, had his ear accidentally severed after a Kowalski knee drop.

Kowalski married for the first time two years ago at the age of 79. "What could I do? She told me she was pregnant," he would quip.