Former WWE manager, live-action video game icon Lou “Super Mario” Albano dies at 76

It was hard to be a child of the ’80s and not encounter “Captain” Lou Albano in some form. He was one of the most charismatic managers in World Wrestling Federation history, appeared in numerous videos with pop star Cyndi Lauper and to a generation of gamers he was Mario in the Super Mario Bros. Super Show.

Albano died Wednesday (October 14, 2009) at 76, never completely recovering from a 2005 heart attack. During an iconic career that saw him inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, Albano managed more than 50 pro wrestlers to more than two dozen world championships. His on-camera antics with Lauper were a major component of the “rock n’ wrestling” connection that made sports entertainment wildly popular.