Former AWA Announcer Larry Nelson Has Passed Away

Fomer AWA announcer Larry Nelson has passed away. Nelson, real name Larry Shipley, lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on June 23.

Nelson was most notable as one of the successors to “Mean” Gene Okerlund’s position as an interviewer and announcer for the AWA in the late ’80s. Nelson worked for promoter Verne Gagne and the AWA until it crumbled in the early ’90s.

According to F4Wonline.com, friends of Nelson had reported that he was only given a few weeks to live about 14 days ago. You can read all about Nelson’s life and career in his autobiography named “Stranglehold,” which was released in 2000. You can pick up the book here.

Those of us at WrestlingRumors.net offer our condolences to Nelson’s friends and family.

You can watch the “Beyond The Ring” version of WWE’s AWA documentary, “The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA,” on the WWE Network. You can also watch a young Paul Heyman and Adrian Adonis talk with Larry Nelson in the classic clip from AWA’s ESPN program below.