He was one of the neighbors who everyone knew, and got a kick out of,” explains Carl Albano. In listening to Carl speak from life as a child growing up in Carmel, the Albano household was as normal as their neighbors. The myths and real-life escapades of the Federation’s brawling cornerman are legendary. “And he was a tough dad but a very loving father, as well.” “Yeah, he was a crazy man on TV, just out there in left field when watching him wrestling,” Albano confesses. One of four kids of Lou and Geraldine Albano, who were married for 50-plus years, Carl paints a total opposite picture of his father, from the reckless behavior demonstrated in arenas that made him some one fans loved to hate. With all the TV exposure and arena rants, it was only natural, particularly back in the ’70s when the wrestling game presented itself with a more realistic legit product, that what you saw publicly was what the person privately is. To him, Captain Lou, as he was known during the second half of his career, was simply Dad. “He (Albano) was an amazing guy who marched to a different beat,” said Carl Albano, 65, during a recent telephone conversation.Ĭarl Albano knew who the real Hall of Famer was. Photo by John Arezzi.īut this was only one side of a manager living out of his suitcase, from his Carmel, New York home - an hour’s drive to Manhattan. Super Show!Īlbano retired from wrestling in 1995 and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame a year later.Handsome Johnny Valiant alongside Captain Lou Albano. In 1989, he became the voice of Mario on The Super Mario Bros. He guest-starred on 227 and Miami Vice, and appeared in Wiseguys and the wrestling film Body Slam. Watch the "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" video nowAlbano and Lauper remained close over the years, and the singer wrote the foreword in his 2008 autobiography, Often Imitated, Never Duplicated.As his fame grew, Albano left the WWE in 1986 and segued into acting. I will always look back on the absolutely hilarious times and the magical world of wrestling he introduced me to and shared for that brief time." He graced me with a lot of video performances that I will always treasure," Lauper added. "He was a great, gregarious, hilarious fellow who had this lovable presence. ![]() He made all of that promotion we did so much fun. The "Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection" catapulted wrestling into mainstream pop culture. The two also made WWE appearances together. Albano would go on to guide 15 tag teams to WWE championship glory.Albano achieved new celebrity status and transformed his bad-guy persona in the 1980s when he starred in Lauper's music videos, including "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," in which he played her father. His protégé, Ivan Koloff, accomplished the mission in 1971. He then paired with Tony Altimore to become the tag team "The Sicilians," winning the World Wide Wrestling Federation - the WWE precursor - United States Tag Team Championship in 1967.By the 1970s, Albano became a manager - and a villainous one at that when he made it his goal to end Bruno Sammartino's seven-year reign as WWE champion. The Mount Vernon, N.Y., native made his professional wrestling debut in 1953 after a brief stint in the Army. Earlier Wednesday, the Miami Herald reported that Albano was at home with his family under hospice care and was not suffering from cancer.Known for his animated personality, Hawaiian shirts, untamed beard usually bound by rubber bands and his motto, "Often imitated, never duplicated," Albano was a staple in the ring for nearly half a century. See which celebrities have died in 2009A cause of death has not been disclosed. But wherever you are, I am sure you are causing a hilarious rucuss. ![]() Or maybe you're having a good laugh with Freddie Blassie. "I love ya Lou and I can picture you up there somewhere explaining that PEG principle to someone. My heart goes out to his family," Lauper said in a statement. But I know he's at peace now, he had been ill for a while. I am sad for his family and I'm just sad. ![]() Lou had passed away at home with his family beside him. "WWE extends its deepest condolences to the Albano family." He was 76.Īlbano was "one of the company's most popular and charismatic legends," read a statement on the WWE website. Captain Lou Albano, the legendary wrestling icon who bridged World Wrestling Entertainment and rock music after starring in Cyndi Lauper's music videos, has died.
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