Female wrestling icon 'Fabulous Moolah' dies

Women's wrestling hall-of-famer Lillian Ellison, known to fans as The Fabulous Moolah, died Saturday (Manila time) in Columbia, South Carolina at age 84. World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) said it was saddened over the death of Ellison, whom it described as "the longest reigning champion in the history of her chosen sport, or any sport for that matter." "In the world of women’s wrestling, there will always be one irrefutable legend that stands head and shoulders above the rest: The Fabulous Moolah. She was the longest reigning champion in the history of her chosen sport, or any sport for that matter. And with more than 50 years in the business to her credit, she established a legacy that will never be forgotten, making her name synonymous with female wrestling," it said on its Web site. Ellison was born on July 22, 1923 and grew up in South Carolina, the youngest of 13 siblings and the sole girl. When her mother died when she was eight, she was so saddened her father took her to local wrestling matches, where she began idolizing the dominant woman wrestler of the era, Mildred Burke. She started her wrestling career in the 1940s and went into semi-retirement in the 1990s. In 1995, Moolah became the first and only woman to be inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame. "The Fabulous Moolah was the representative of the female version of pro wrestling for some 30 years, and is arguably the greatest Women's champion to ever wrestle. Moolah was talented and knowledgeable, devious and vicious, courageous yet cowardly, and she could 'work' the crowd like few others, male or female. In other words, she possessed all of the qualities it takes to be a champion pro wrestler," said an introduction on her official Web site . - GMANews.TV