Gene Okerlund, Voice of Pro Wrestling, Is Dead at 76

The WWE, who inducted Okerlund into the Hall of Fame in 2006, announced news of the icon’s passing on Wednesday. The cause of his death has not been disclosed. Gene Okerlund, who as a ringside interviewer and commentator served for decades as a straight man to the outsize personalities who suffuse the world of professional wrestling, died on Wednesday at a hospital in Sarasota, Fla. He was 76.

“WWE extends its condolences to Okerlund’s family, friends and fans,” the organization said on its website.

WWE officials did not respond immediately to queries over the circumstances of Okerlund’s demise. Other representatives of Okerlund could not be reached for comment. Dubbed “Mean Gene” by professional wrestler and interview subject Jesse “The Body” Ventura, Okerlund captivated a national audience with humor and sarcasm as he bantered with the biggest personalities on the world wrestling stage. “You cannot be laughing at the product,” Mr. Okerlund told Sports Illustrated for a profile of him in 2017. “You need to go along with the story line, and put it over. That is my job.”

He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006. “I am damn proud of it,” he said of the honor in an interview with The Sun-Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.