Tina Turner, The Queen Of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Dies At 83

As per a report published in Deadline, Turner died in her home in Switzerland. “With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model,” her U.K. spokesperson, Bernard Doherty, said in a statement.


According to the outlet, she died today after fighting a long illness at her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland.

Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock in 1939 in Tennessee. She rose to fame in the late '50s as the singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Following an abusive marriage with Ike Turner, she staged a massive comeback where she released some of her most beloved hits like “What’s Love Got To Do With it”, “Private Dancer” and “The Best”. Over her career, she earned 12 Grammy Awards.

Her 1988 show in Rio de Janeiro still remains one of the highest attended concerts for a single performer, with an attendance of 180,000.

Turner's life has been adapted for the screen and stage in the 1993 film "What's Love Got To Do With It" as well as the 2021 Broadway musical Tina – The Tina Turner Musical.

A private funeral service is expected to be held for friends and family.

Rick Mercer Rant 2020

Doesn't matter whether it's COVID or something else, Canada is a big beautiful place to visit no matter what part of our great country you're from.

Wwe Hall Of Fame Announcer Howard Finkel Passes Away

Submitted by rajah.com on April 16, 2020 - 11:41am
WWE News

Legendary WWE Hall of Fame announcer Howard Finkel has passed away. He was 69.



WWE is saddened to learn that Howard Finkel has passed away at age 69.


When considering the greatest ring announcers in the history of sports and sports-entertainment, you’d be hard-pressed to name one better than Howard Finkel. A native of Newark, NJ, “The Fink” — a label that had been attached affectionately to Howard over the years — made his ring announcing debut at Madison Square Garden in 1977 for WWE’s predecessor, WWWF.


By 1979, Finkel was the full-time ring announcer for WWWF, and when WWE was established in 1980, The Fink became the first — and eventually longest-serving — employee. Finkel’s distinctive voice was instantly recognizable, and for more than two decades Superstars such as The Ultimate Warrior, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and more would have a title victory marked by The Fink’s signature call, “and NNNEEEWWW World Champion!”


Despite being a ring announcer, Finkel didn’t shy away from in-ring competition in certain circumstances. In 1995, he battled his longtime rival Harvey Wippleman in a Tuxedo Match on Raw, and later helped X-Pac shave Jeff Jarrett’s head in a Hair vs. Hair Match at SummerSlam 1998.


In addition to his legendary tenure as a ring announcer, The Fink was an indispensable resource inside the WWE offices for his vast knowledge of sports-entertainment history. Well respected by current Superstars, WWE Legends and Hall of Famers, Finkel’s encyclopedic memory and kindness made him beloved among his colleagues. The Fink was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 4, 2009.


WWE extends its condolences to Finkel’s family, friends and fans.

La Parka The Second Dies

La Parka Dies After Suffering Injuries During Pro Wrestling Match

The pro wrestling world has lost another wrestler.


Mexican pro wrestling legend La Parka (Jesus Alfonso Huerta Escoboza) passed away on Saturday evening, January 11, 2020 after suffering what ended up being fatal injuries following a dive spot in a match at a KAOZ Lucha Libre event the end of November in 2019.


La Parka was one of the biggest recent stars in the Mexican pro wrestling scene, and was considered one of the symbols of the AAA Lucha Libre promotion.


Huerta was the second La Parka. The original, Adolfo Tapia, a Hall of Famer, used the name in the 90s in AAA and later WCW, and is now L.A. Park.

'mean Gene' Okerlund, The Voice Of Pro Wrestling, Dead At 76

Broadcast host was as big a WWE star as Hulk Hogan and others he spoke with.

Eugene "Mean Gene" Okerlund, whose deadpan interviews of pro wrestling superstars like "Macho Man" Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan made him a ringside fixture in his own right, has died. He was 76.

World Wrestling Entertainment announced Okerlund's death on its website Wednesday. Okerlund's son, Tor Okerlund, told The Associated Press that his father died early Wednesday at a hospital in Sarasota, Florida, near his home in Osprey, Florida, with his wife, Jeanne, by his side.

Tor Okerlund said his father, who had received three kidney transplants, fell a few weeks ago "and it just kind of went from bad to worse."

Okerlund started as an interviewer in the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling Association. He moved to WWE in 1984 and hosted several shows, including All-American Wrestling, Tuesday Night Titans and Prime Time Wrestling. Besides being WWE's lead locker room interviewer, he also provided ringside commentary.

Former wrestler and ex-Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, who wrestled as "The Body," dubbed Okerlund "Mean Gene."

Ventura told the Minneapolis Star Tribune on Wednesday that in an interview he "laughingly called him 'the Mean Gene Hot Air Machine,' and the 'Mean Gene' stuck."

Ventura called Okerlund "the best at what he did, the best straight man interviewer in wrestling history."

A native of Sisseton, South Dakota, Okerlund was known for his natty attire and moustache. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006.

Okerlund also could sing and performed the national anthem at the first WrestleMania in 1985. He sang Tutti Frutti later that year on the WWE's The Wrestling Album.

"He really was the ultimate, the consummate entertainer," his son said.

In a 2015 interview with the Star Tribune, Okerlund credited the late pro wrestling pioneer Verne Gagne for his start.

Okerlund worked in sales at the television station where Gagne's AWA was based and had experience in radio. Gagne approached Okerlund in the hallway when the regular interviewer could not make a taping in the early 1970s, Okerlund recalled.

"I said, 'Verne, I know zero about wrestling.' He said, 'Do you have a suit and tie? That's all you need.' There were a few bucks involved, so I dived in," Okerlund said.