Taz, The Iron Sheik, Bret Hart, Joey Janela & More React To The Passing Of Kamala

By Kellie Haulotte

Since the news of the passing of former WWE star Kamala, Joey Janela, Taz, Bret Hart, and more stars have expressed their condolences on social media.

Taz tweeted, "Sorry to hear a legend has passed. I had the pleasure of meeting Kamala couple of times always a tremendously nice man."

Bret Hart wrote on Instagram, "I'm heartbroken to hear of the passing away of Big Jim Harris, aka Kamala. I met Jim in 1981 in Croydon, close to London England where he was breaking in as The Mississippi Mauler working with Big Daddy Crabtree. I caught up with him 3 years later as Kamala in WWE when he was a terrifying monster heel working on top with Hulk Hogan. Unlike his heel character, he was one of the friendliest, nicest, happy-go-lucky guys I ever knew in pro wrestling. I had the pleasure of working with him in 1992 when I was WWE champion. He was great to work with and I smile at the memories of him laughing so hard at my infamous blackboard drawings. He had a great sense of humour and, like Andre, he'd race into the dressing room to see what my latest cartoon was about. He always had a big smile despite all his challenges, including the loss of both legs. Always a kind and happy gentle soul. I'll miss him for always being so good to me. R.I.P. Big Jim Harris."

Joey Janela shared a photo of his younger self with Kamala along with the caption, "RIP KAMALA"

The Iron Sheik tweeted, "GOD BLESS THE KAMALA HE ALWAYS PUT ON A SHOW FOR THE FANS GOOD BIG MAN WHO WORKED THE GIMMICK BETTER THEN MOST IT BREAK MY HEART"

William Regal tweeted, "My deepest condolences to the family of James Harris. I first saw him on TV when I was a child in the UK and at live shows as "The Mississippi Mauler" Big Jim Harris and then had the pleasure of being on shows with him in the US. A lovely man."

AEW shared, "AEW and the wrestling world mourn the passing of wrestling legend James "Kamala" Harris, our thoughts are with his family, his friends and his fans." Big Swole retweeted AEW's message and wrote, "Rest Easy Kamala!!"

Impact Wrestling tweeted, "We are saddened to learn of the passing of Kamala. We send our deepest condolences to his friends and family."

ECW Original The Blue Meanie wrote, "Rest in Peace Kamala! Just as much as he was a scary in ring, he was a sweetheart in real life. He informed me I had knocked out a tooth on a clothesline. After I apologized profusely he informed me he was set to get it pulled anyway and I saved him $30 lol Rest easy my friend..."

MLW CEO Court Bauer tweeted, "No!! Kamala has passed away. Very sad news as the man behind the larger than life Ugandan Giant persona was an incredible person who I had the privilege of working with and knowing a little. While his last few years were hard, he continued to forge his way. A man's man."

ROH star Cheeseburger wrote, "While training with ROH and learning history from Danielson's title run the defense vs Kamala always stuck out to me. I spent years trying to find it but never saw the footage. 2 years ago it was uploaded to YouTube and I luckily got to see it finally!"

Below you can read their posts as well as many others:

View this post on Instagram

I'm heartbroken to hear of the passing away of Big Jim Harris, aka Kamala. I met Jim in 1981 in Croydon, close to London England where he was breaking in as The Mississippi Mauler working with Big Daddy Crabtree. I caught up with him 3 years later as Kamala in WWE when he was a terrifying monster heel working on top with Hulk Hogan. Unlike his heel character, he was one of the friendliest, nicest, happy-go-lucky guys I ever knew in pro wrestling. I had the pleasure of working with him in 1992 when I was WWE champion. He was great to work with and I smile at the memories of him laughing so hard at my infamous blackboard drawings. He had a great sense of humour and, like Andre, he'd race into the dressing room to see what my latest cartoon was about. He always had a big smile despite all his challenges, including the loss of both legs. Always a kind and happy gentle soul. I'll miss him for always being so good to me. R.I.P. Big Jim Harris.

A post shared by Bret (@brethitmanhart) on

Comments

Recommended