It must be said at this stage that . As a lifelong student of what we have come to call combat sports, still living and teaching at age 87, LeBell has become one of the world's experts. He is loved by so many and admired by countless others. Is MJF the Second Coming of CM Punk? This is very much deserved. It was agreed that the match would last five 3 three minute rounds. A pioneer of martial arts, he lived a long and fascinating life. The tributes for "Judo" Gene LeBell, who died on August 9, 2022, at age 89, poured in after news of his passing starting circulating. You have been a legend for over 60 years and Im honored each month that I get to see you!!!! On March 18, 1995, the Cauliflower Alley Club again honored LeBell by presenting him with the "Iron Mike Mazurki" award; presented by one of his teachers, legendary professional wrestling champion Lou Thesz. Professional wrestler Bas Rutten announced LeBell's death via Facebook, writing, "You will be greatly missed Gene, Lou Thesz. After spending time training Judo overseas in Japan at the Kodokan, in 1954 the 22 year old Gene Lebell would capture both the heavyweight and the overall Judo Championships. I am so glad I was there Live to see it ! Congratulations! He is a two time AAU National Judo Champion and he was a professional wrestling world heavyweight champion . Hardcover - January 1, 2004. It has been an honor to work with you ,and see how much you have done, over the years. The Hollywood Reporter: Gene LeBell, Famed Stuntman and Godfather of Grappling, Dies at 89, Deadline: Gene LeBell Dies: Stuntman, Actor And Wrestling Legend Who Fought Bruce Lee & Chuck Norris Onscreen Was 89, MMA Fighting: Toughest man I know: Pros react to pioneer Judo Gene LeBells death, The Huffington Post: Gene LeBell, Famed Stuntman, Martial Artist And Bruce Lees Teacher Dies At 89. Lewis, Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another: What! (James C. Udel, Variety, 2018), Gene started training in judo at a young age, and at the age of 20 in 1954, he won National AAU Heavyweight Judo Championship and the USA Overall Judo Championship title. All my love and respect Pat Romano, Ya ya Uncle Gene , to one of the Gilberts favorite people . God bless. Still, he continued to get regular stunt work on TV. LeBell recalled in his 2005 autobiography, The Godfather of Grappling meeting Lee on the set of The Green Hornet TV series. As wellback in the day..i drove out to ride motos with Gene & some friends at his area in Frazier Park. Previously, he was married to Eleanor Martindale between 1975 and 1976, Eileen Murillo (1960), Olga Allen between 1957 until 1959, and Midge LeBell before that. He has trained several notable students including Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, and Ronda Rousey. Sat 9th Apr 2022 19.30 BST. Gene LeBell would ultimately choke his opponent unconscious after a tentative start to the match. [21], The popularity of this incident led LeBell to be counted in 1992 as a potential additional member of Robert Wall's controversial "Dirty Dozen," a group of martial artists willing to answer to a public challenge made by Seagal. Influential combat sports icon "Judo" Gene LeBell has died at 89. Today we will take a look at just a fraction of it. Whats different about the Sixers this year? 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After his mother remarried, LeBell was raised near L.A.s old Olympic Auditorium. Bottles, chairs, and other debris were thrown into the ring. Bob Debbie Hennessey, Congrats Gene. Gene LeBell Record, Net Worth, Weight, Age & More. They shared their stories about the Toughest Man Alive and Godfather of Grapplings warmth and generosity. After getting his black belt, he went to Japan to train in judo at the Kodokan. You too? We love him! A brief google of you name brings up pages and pages of awesome stories about what youve really accomplished in so many fields. So well deserved!! [7] In 1954 and 1955, while only 22 years of age, he captured both the heavyweight and overall Amateur Athletic Union National Judo Championships. Present-day UFC fans probably best remember him from his time spent wielding a stopwatch in the corner of his protege, Ronda Rousey, while wrestling fans might know his name from when Daniel Bryan used to call his finisher the LeBell Lock. But despite that, the MMA pioneer isnt a household name, which is a shame, because if youre a fan of combat sports, he absolutely should be. Gene LeBell (also called "Judo Gene" and "the Godfather of Grappling") went on to perform stunts in hundreds of movies, train martial artists like Chuck . The athletic youngster tested himself with such self-imposed challenges as scaling 60-foot-high lighting stanchions to replace spent bulbs. A student of catch wrestling titans Lou Thesz, Karl Gotch, and Ed "Strangler" Lewis, LeBell's notable students include Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Ronda Rousey. I made very good money, and it led me into a career in stunt work.. He was a Nevada and California Athletic Commission judge. Stuntman Gene LeBell might not have been around since Hollywood's first fist fight, but his skill has transformed the genre. Could James Harden Potentially Return to Houston After the Season? Challenge coins, decorated with an image of LeBell, were sold for donations, which raised more than $2,000. Mary Karcz, Hi Gene, Id just like to Congratulate you on your receiving the Taurus Lifetime Achievement Award. And Thank You for all those Decals and Patches you sent Charlotte and I each Christmas. His death was announced by Kellie Cunningham, his trustee and business manager, who did not. OSU! Instructed through brutal tutorials by professional wrestlers and old-school masters, he developed adult skills by 13. Well deserved my hat is off to you sir!!! LeBell lived long enough to learn submission wrestling from the likes of Ed Strangler Lewis, study judo in postwar Japan, win the first notable mixed martial arts match in 1963 and then referee the much-hyped but disappointing 1976 proto-MMA showdown between boxer Muhammad Ali and wrestler Antonio Inoki, trade fighting tips and blows with a young Bruce Lee on the set of The Green Hornet, allegedly choke out martial-arts action star Steven Seagal on the set of Out for Justice in 1991, and even decline an invitation to the early Ultimate Fighting Championship events when he and 82-year-old jujitsu pioneer Hlio Gracie couldnt settle on a fighting weight. When I first came to town in 1987, I remember trying to get my hands on one those Stunt Rate breakdown cards you used to make. Aloha, Brian Keaulana, Congratulations Gene! Gene LeBell was born on October 09, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States, is Stunts, Actor, Miscellaneous Crew. The godfather of modern grappling and a legitimate tough guy in his own right, LeBell. [18], LeBell has worked on over 1,000 films, TV shows and commercials as a stuntman or as an actor (including multiple appearances as himself). August 10, 2022 1:24pm. Ivan Gene LeBell was born in Los Angeles on Oct. 9, 1932. It was the long-running Lassie series that first tested LeBells mettle. Congratulations Uncle Gene! Weve worked together for over (50) years and its been (50) years of pure delight. Gene's funeral will be private for immediate family only. Although LeBell would remain undefeated in the sport for eight years, even traveling to Japan in 1955 to further his judo skillsand, following a laundry mishap, adopt the pink gi that became a signature piece of his in-ring lookhis interests were too varied to allow him to focus exclusively on one sport. Please enter a valid email and try again. Seventeen years before the UFC debuted, though, LeBell refereed arguably the most notable mixed martial arts clash of the era, serving as the third man in the ring for the Muhammad AliAntonio Inoki superfight in Tokyo. LeBell also worked on over 1,000 movies and TV shows [1] and authored 12 books. Best Hugh Aodh OBrien, All Rights Reserved.Web design by My Life at Speed Digital Services, Stan Barrett, Paul Newman, and Breaking Land Speed Records, Annual Stunts Unlimited Directory Membership Payment, The Stunts Unlimited Directory Membership 20% Off Promotion, actor and stuntman in Hollywood productions, https://stuntsunlimited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Jon-Boucher-One-of-my-personal-favorite-Gene-Lebell-television-appearances-as-Tarzan-McGirk-taking-on-the-mysterious-Masked-Marvel-on-an-episode-of-The-Munsters..mp4, In Loving Memory of Judo Gene LeBell, 1932-2022. Almost everyone present to honor him wore a Gene LeBell tee-shirt, and his widow Midge sported a sweater covered in patches that LeBell made over the years to give out to fans for souvenirs. Here's an attempt to share some of those posts and tweets from the cross . The Toughest Man Alive. LeBell died in his sleep early Tuesday morning at his home in Sherman Oaks, his trustee and business manager, Kellie Cunningham, told The Hollywood Reporter. With respect, Missy OMalley-Reynolds, Uncle Gene, Thanks for never burning our house down. You are a true living legend. Gene is survived by his wife Midge, his children Monica and David; stepchildren Danny and Stacey; and grandchildren Daniel, Tyler and Nicholas. On August 7, 2004, the World Martial Arts Masters Association promoted him to 10th degree. He has trained with or taught grappling skills to many well-known wrestlers and martial artists, such as Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, Bob Wall, Chuck Norris, Ed Parker, Gokor Chivichyan, Karo Parisyan, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Mando Guerrero, Manny Gamburyan. Your positivity and generosity knows no limit. You have definitely earned it for all your contributions to the industry. They knew each other and worked together on the Green Hornet. To start academies, and then have a lineage of students that he brought up, not just martial arts but also film., Barnett said of his accomplishments, Its really just incredible to see someone be able to tip the scales of the world with just his own hands like that. LeBell was never a main-event star in wrestling and by even the most generous assessment wasnt exactly a crowd-pleaser in the ring. Nicknamed "The Godfather of Grappling", he popularized grappling in professional fighting circles, serving as a precursor to modern mixed martial arts. "LeBell parlayed his pain-inducing skills into careers in martial arts, professional wrestling and Hollywood stunt work, making him the ultimate a**-kicking Renaissance man. Erik Stabenau, Congratulations Gene. A long overdue, but well deserved award. This award is only given to a select few. [10] LeBell tried several techniques through the second and third rounds and was finally successful in taking Savage down, but Savage kept defending both standing and on the ground in a very technical manner, seemingly confirming LeBell's theory about his opponent's grappling training. In his book Shooters: The Toughest Men in Professional Wrestling, long-time MMA journalist Jonathan Snowden described LeBell as a horrible professional wrestler from a technical perspective, a tough guy who looked soft in the ring and remained stuck on the undercard of his brother Mike LeBells wrestling events, wrestling under his own name or beneath a mask as the Hangman. He did claim to have won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in 1960 from Pat OConnor in a match in Dory Funks Amarillo, Texas, territory, repeating this assertion to both Black Belt and Sports Illustrated, but the victory was almost certainly part of a wrestling story line, with LeBell accidentally striking the Texas wrestling commissioner with the belt and forcing its immediate return to OConnor. The Creed Franchise Has Stepped Out of Rockys Shadow at Last, With Sylvester Stallone removed from the equation, Creed III is the sternest test yet of Adonis Creeds appealand a new challenge for first-time director Michael B. Jordan, The Clock Is Already Ticking for Kyrie Irving and the Mavs, Dallas now has a costar alongside Luka Doncic but has precious little time to make it all work. We couldnt prouder. BJJ Fanatics was started by a pair of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts who know that nothing is more important for a fellow fanatic than their time on the mat. LeBell!!! For 89 years, few did that work better than Judo Gene LeBell. I thought I was the only one. Seems like yesterday, lifes crazy like that, huh? Chuck & Charlotte Waters, Special man and amazing human being, so deserving of this recognition. In June 1976, LeBell refereed the infamous boxing-versus-wrestling contest between Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki in Tokyo, Japan. He was 89. Nicknamed "The Godfather of Grappling", he popularized grappling in professional fighting circles, serving as a precursor to modern mixed martial arts. Seagal has later flatly denied the claim and LeBell has not gone as far to 100% confirm, though his student and long time friend Ronda Rousey has stood up for LeBell's honor in interviews. However, Gene LeBell was a 10th degree judo black belt and one of the toughest men on the planet, so the director knew this wouldn't happen to him. Congrats Rick Avery, Congratulations Uncle Gene! LeBell was selected from over 200 other applicants to referee the bout. The Cauliflower Alley Club presented the award. Gregg Smrz, So well deserved! It goes to a great man of strength, integrity and honor. Little Mo and Lou, Uncle Gene has been a trusted mentor, ardent Sensei and dear friend to me and countless other stunt people throughout the years. Still working on the Pro Wrestling Finishing Holds book techniques to this day! Then consider checking: 100 Cummings Ctr. It is with a heavy heart that we recognize our past member and friend, Mr. Gene LeBell, has passed on. LeBell is also a writer and has penned a dozen books on martial arts. To succeed in the NFL, hell need to be an outlier among outliers. Ill never forget that moment, congratulations brother. Mike Smith, Congratulations on this most deserving award for a really great guy. In a fifty year career of high falls and fist fights, Gene LeBell has crashed cars, jumped motorcycles, wrestled bears, incited riots and fought some of the deadliest men in the world. You can follow him on Twitter (@MoustacheClubUS) and read more of his work at www.oliverbateman.com.