UPDATE: 2024/04/16 11:00 EST BY BENJAMIN VIEIRA

A manager can help to make or break a professional wrestler's career. In his era, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan helped to make an incredible number of stars. André the Giant, Mr. Perfect, King Kong Bundy, Ric Flair, Rick Rude, Harley Race, and many more made up The Heenan Family, with many of them ended up becoming champions under his management. Heenan will always be regarded as one of the best managers of all time for what he did in WWE. Tragically, he passed away in 2017. However, his legacy will always live on in the hearts and minds of fans.

Bobby “The Brain” Heenan is widely regarded as one of the greatest pro wrestling managers of all time. During his prime years in WWE, Heenan managed some of the biggest stars in the industry and was a heat magnet unlike anyone else before him.

His style, charisma, and wit drew people into arenas in hopes that the evil manager and his clients would get what was coming to them. Despite this happening many times, Heenan was right back at his heelish ways the next day, working the crowd into a heated frenzy to start it all again. After his managerial days were over, Heenan became a commentator, and his partnership with the legendary Gorilla Monsoon is widely regarded as the best in the business, maybe even surpassing Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.

Bobby Heenan Worked As A WCW Commentator After Being A Manager In WWE

"The Brain" Was One Of The Biggest Voices Of His Era

• Bobby Heenan managed many legends during his WWE career.
• Bobby Heenan was associated with Ken Patera, Paul Orndorff, King Kong Bundy, André the Giant, Haku, and Rick Rude.
• Bobby Heenan was a WCW commentator alongside Eric Bischoff and Tony Schiavone.

After his stint in WWE, Bobby Heenan was brought over to WCW as a commentator, often working alongside Eric Bischoff and Tony Schiavone. Heenan was as capable and charismatic as usual, but in the fall of 2000, he was released from his contract. A few months after that, Vince McMahon bought WCW. The legendary manager was called upon by Vince McMahon to commentate the Gimmick Battle Royal at WrestleMania 17, but after calling the action, he disappeared for over a year. Heenan later came back with some heartbreaking news.

A year later, in January 2002, Bobby Heenan announced that he was diagnosed with throat cancer. This was a big shock to the wrestling world, but with aggressive treatment, the disease was managed and put into remission by 2004. Unfortunately, that was the beginning of a series of health issues that would plague the legendary manager for the rest of his life.

Throat Cancer Led To Multiple Surgeries For Bobby Heenan

Bobby Heenan Was Inducted Into The 2004 WWE Hall Of Fame Class

• Bobby Heenan was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2002.
• Bobby Heenan had reconstructive jaw surgery in 2007.
• Bobby Heenan spent a lot of time in and out of the hospital in his final years.

The aggressive treatment led to serious side effects and Heenan was left weakened when giving his Hall of Fame induction speech the same year. He looked visibly different, as he had lost a lot of weight and his speech was altered as well. In his speech, Heenan said that, for two years straight, he sat in his bedroom, undergoing extensive chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Three years later, in 2007, Heenan underwent reconstructive jaw surgery, during which he was placed in a medically induced coma. The first attempted surgery did not go as planned and the former manager had to go through a second operation. Heenan was slowly brought out of the coma over the next few months. Heenan was unable to speak for a while and his appearance was different yet again. He looked almost unrecognizable, but Heenan kept himself in good spirits and showed up for autograph sessions and fan meet and greets soon after he was discharged from the hospital.

In the following years, Heenan suffered jaw and tooth infections, and he was hospitalized a number of times. The infection on his rebuilt jaw was cured by 2010, but the infection too took a toll on his overall health. Heenan was once again admitted to the hospital in 2011 when a bad fall broke his hip and pelvis. Two years later, in 2013, Heenan broke his shoulder and had to undergo another surgery.

Bobby Heenan Passed Away In 2017

"The Brain" Died On September 17, 2017

• Bobby Heenan died from organ failure due to throat cancer.
• The professional wrestling world paid tribute to "The Brain."
• Bobby Heenan passed away at age 72.

In 2016, Mean Gene Okerlund tweeted that Heenan suffered another bad fall and was hospitalized. His blood pressure plummeted in the hospital and the doctors had to keep a close eye on him until his vital signs returned to normal.

The next year, on September 17, 2017, Bobby Heenan passed away, surrounded by his family. The cause of death was multiple organ failure from complications of throat cancer. Numerous wrestling personalities and fans paid tribute to the legendary performer and offered condolences to his family. WWE owner, Vince McMahon, hailed him as one of the greatest managers and announcers in the history of the sport. Rightfully so.

His death was mourned by the entire wrestling world as it had lost a pioneer, and a truly amazing personality. Despite the many physical issues that he faced over his last years, Bobby Heenan showed us all what strength and determination looked like.