Original Dr. Death Passes Away

Paul Lincoln, who worked a masked Dr. Death gimmick has passed away due to complications of Parkinson's Disease and cancer. He was 78 years old.

The UK Daily Echo reports:

With his infamous black leather mask, black robe and black boots, Dr Death brought fear to wrestling rings across the South throughout the '50s and '60s.

His alter ego was one of the sport's first masked fighters and enabled him to take to the ring twice in one night.

He would often appear early in the bill under his own name and then again as Dr Death, doubling his fee for the evening.

Born in Sydney, Australia, Paul came to Britain in 1951 and started wrestling and promoting his own events within a year.

Away from the ring, he helped turn fresh-faced teenagers into rock 'n' roll stars through the 2 I's coffee bar in Old Compton Street, London, he bought with a business partner in 1956.