Consider the King of Hearts....

Death is a natural part of life.  Everybody handles mortality differently.  In the course of my life I haven't lost too many loved ones.  My mother passed just a few years ago and it still stings.  I lost my grandmother a couple of years before then, but was mostly unaffected, we weren't very close.

I'll never forget the day Owen passed away.  My circle of friends were big wrestling fans.  Gregg loved Sting.  Chris was a huge Stone Cold Fan.  I had to miss this particular pay per view get together.  May 23rd is my mother's birthday and we were headed to Red Lobster for dinner.  I'll never forget that day, my cell phone was blowing up.  First from Gregg & Chris and later guys that I worked with.  "Did you hear Owen died?"  Then it was on the radio, KFWB News 98 delivered the unbelievable truth.  This wasn't a facade or a gimmick, Owen was dead.  Falling to his death in an entrance that he had done a handful of times before.

When Hart debuted in the WWE, he came in under a mask as the Blue Blazer.  Being a youngster, I loved it.  A mask was rare at that time in the WWE.  His matches with Curt Hennig were some of my favorites.  I kind of grew up with Owen.  I remember when he teamed with Koko B Ware as High Energy.  Or when he teamed with Jim the Anvil as The New Foundation.  When Owen broke Austin's neck... I bought an Owen 3:16 Shirt.  His wrestling was entertaining, he could cut a promo, he was fun to watch.  Even after Vince screwed Bret, Owen was the last standing Hart in the WWE.   

There have been three lives that had been lost that have affected me.  That shook me to my core.  My mother, Nick Adenhart of the Angels and Owen. Owen Hart was one of my favorite wrestlers, his death affected me because I always felt like I was the Owen of my family.  The baby, always trying to prove himself.  Always trying to make people laugh. I felt a special connection to Owen.  That night, when I retired to my bedroom, I cried and I'm not afraid to admit that.  I didn't know why I had that feeling, but I did.  The days after his passing my friends had asked if I was okay.  I never met Owen.  Never had a conversation with him.  Never interacted with him, but felt like I lost a loved one.  In recent years, I haven't thought of Owen Heart.  Reflecting on this day because it shares significance for my family with my mom's birthday I was caught off guard when I saw this photo circle on facebook.  A lot of my emotions came back to me.  Owen was an amazing wrestler who never got his due.  He died way to early leaving his young children without a father.  I miss Owen, not as much as his family.  But Owen is missed.