By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Longtime pro wrestler Black Bart (Richard Harris) died on Thursday morning at age 86. He was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer in 2022. He recently made the decision to end chemotherapy treatment and had been in hospice care. Bart’s wife shared the news of his passing on Facebook.
Powell’s POV: Bart worked for a number of territories. I remember him best for his time in World Class Championship Wrestling. He had a brief run with the WCCW Championship in 1986. WCCW claimed that Bart defeated Chris Adams to win the title in Los Angeles. Adams had actually left the promotion and the match was fictitious. Bart also trained wrestlers, including John “JBL” Layfield. My condolences go out to Bart’s family, friends, and many fans.
Black Bart took me under his wing and taught me how to be a professional wrestler. We were tag champs in Texas-but we were also just buddies. We sat together in the dressing room while Bart spit in his trashcan and constantly joked about everything. Bart meant the world to me. I… pic.twitter.com/ItRybdJphl
— John Layfield (@JCLayfield) January 10, 2025
Pretty much the perfect southern territory worker.