Verne Gagne

Question
Hi Dave

I'm an old school wrestling fan dating back the 1960's and was a big fan of the AWA, which was run by Verne Gagne.

A buddy of mine told me that Verne is not doing well healthwise, and was even involved in the death of a man at a nursing home.  I'm hoping this is not true.  Any info would be appreciated.

Earl

Answer
Hi Earl.  Thanks for the question.

Unfortunately, Verne is in an assisted living facility in Minnesota.  If I remember correctly, he has an advanced stage of Alzheimers or dementia.

He was involved in an incident with a 97 year old man in the facility they both live in.  Verne reportedly picked up the man and threw him to the ground, which resulted in him breaking his hip.  He died a few days later.

Verne and the injured man apparently had no memory of the incident.  Authorities initially ruled the incident a homicide, but a judge later said no charges would be filed, as he believed due to Verne's medical condition, he wasn't aware of what he was doing.

I also remember the victim's family saying that they didn't blame Verne for his death, because of his medical condition.

Thanks again for the question.  Let me know if you have anything else.

Have a great night!

Dave