The WWF came out with a magazine on August 10, 1999 titled "Owen Hart: A Celebration of His Life". While it may no longer be in stores, It is available at www.wwfshopzone.com
The 5/26/99 "Turn Back the Clock" and 5/25/99 "Small Package" columns at this site focused on Owen.
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This photo was taken the very first night I had even heard of Owen Hart, August 7, 1988. At this event I saw Owen Hart wrestle before anyone knew who he was (at least WWF fans probably). This was before he became the Blue Blazer. As I have mentioned, the JFK Coliseum had a dressing room for the good guys and one for the bad guys. Well, after his match, Owen headed towards the bad guys locker room, and the whole arena laughed at him for not knowing where he was going. He finally made his way through the crowd to the good guys locker room. Little did I know he would become one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time. | |
I took this photo at the last live event I got to see Owen. It was December 9, 1997. This was right after Bret had left the WWF, and Owen was making his comeback on RAW. Owen was interviewed by Vince McMahon and had the support of the crowd that night. |
To send condolences to the Hart Family, email: owenhart@stampedewrestling.com
I am not sure if the above email address is still in place.
To send cards:
The Hart Family
435 Patina Place SW
Calgary, Alberta, Canada T3H 2P5
The WWF website (www.wwf.com) had posted this address if you wanted to send sympathy and condolence cards to the Hart Family.
The Hart Family
C/O The World Wrestling Federation
P.O. Box 3857
Stamford, Connecticut
06905
The Hart Family also requested that in lieu of flowers or offerings, donations be made directly to:
The Alberta Children’s Hospital
1820 Richmond Road S.W.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
T2T 5C7
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This photo was taken on October 10, 1988, the night I met Owen Hart. This event was the most memorable (up to that point) event I'd ever been to. It all started when we were on our way to Portland and we stopped at a Burger King. As we went in, we noticed B. Brian Blair, Koko B. Ware, and Owen Hart (who I didn't know played the Blue Blazer) were sitting down eating. I remember being very excited and B. Brian Blair came over to our table and gave me an autograph. By this time, Owen and Koko had left the building. Brian said to me "Did you get their autographs?". I said "No." He said, "You go out to the car and meet them, and tell them I'll beat them up if they don't give you autographs.". Said I went out to the car to meet them. I told them what Brian had said and they laughed, and then gave me autographs, actually Koko drew a bird. Owen signed his "Blue Blazer". I said to Owen, "I didn't know you were the Blue Blazer. I saw you wrestle in Manchester, NH a few months ago." He said, "Do you remember my mine?". I knew it was Owen or George (the other wrestler I'd seen that night who I'd never heard of), so I said "George something?". And he and Koko laughed really hard. I felt kind of stupid and left the situation feeling a little awkward. Anyway, we gave Brian directions to the arena. That night we had front row seats and Brian came over to shake my hand after his match and thank us for the directions. Then all these kids were asking me how I knew him. |
November 08, 2000: From a Fan: I had the chance of meeting Owen Hart and Mankind at a House Show at the USAir Arena in Landover MD. It was a Saturday afternoon and I went to this house show and this was in March of 1997 a week before Wrestlemania 13. During the 20min break I left and went out to the parking lot to see if I could see any wrestlers never knowing I would meet really famous ones. I went to the ramp were I had see the wrestlers at the last time I was there for a House Show and Survivor Series in 1995. I saw Mick come out and I said hey and asked him for his autograph and he gave it to me then asked for directions back to National Airport in Washington DC. I gave him the directions and he and some other guy I think he was from ECW left. Next I saw Owen come out of the arena, It was so cool. I didn't want to bother him but I wanted his autograph. I walked up to him and asked him for it I was nervous but not as nervous as I was with Mankind or Mick. Owen gave it to me, I said thank you and he said you welcome and then he said that he needed to hurry up and get to the airport before he missed he flight. I tooked that home and framed it and it hangs on my wall to this day. While I was there I met SID and he was the WWF Champion at the time and I met Aldo Montoyo and Mideon of Phenius Goddwinn and got all there autographs. I met HHH and Chyna but I regret never getting there autographs but I should have.
October 19, 2000: I am a WWF fan and I didn't see the PPV when he died. I was so sorry to
hear of what happened and I guess a lot of people were.
Margie
October 15, 2000: Hi first I would like to say sorry about your
loss. I first seen Owen in Newfoundland at a WWF event. He had to be the best, you also
Brett. I truly miss Owen he was very good at what he did. I truly am sorry, I watched the pay per viev the
night of which Owen had his acciddent. He will be missed by the whole world.
Bruce from
Newfoundland
February 25, 2000: I saw Owen Hart a couple times in Utica, NY. I remember one he was with his brother Bret at a WWF Superstars programming taping back in 1993. He was so nice to the fans. I remember another time he came to Utica it was for a Monday Night Raw live and taping shows back in 1994. He was a bad guy but still there were fans there cheering him on. He and Shawn Michaels teamed up against Bret and Razor Ramon. Owen and Shawn lost but I was hoping that they would win. I know what the pain is like to lose someone so close and dear like Owen. Rest in peace Owen Hart your true fans won't ever forget you. I know I won't ever forget you.
September 06, 1999: Owen Hart was one of the greatest superstars of all time. I think other Owen fans think that too. Owen will be missed by MILLIONS and MILLIONS of people. To the entire Hart family I'm sorry.
- Rocky in Biloxi, MS
May 30, 1999: I want to thank Owen for all the good times and bad times and I want to say to Owen's family and Bret I am sorry for what happened.
- Steve G.
May 27, 1999: I'm from Edmonton Alberta Canada, and I've been watching Owen since he was in Stampede Wrestling. I've seen him fight guys that most of today's fans have never heard of, Larry Camron, Bad News Allen, Great Gama...
and so many others. I felt the feeling of great loss on Sunday night.
From watching Owen so long it felt as if I had lost a friend. But one
thing about this situation makes me a little upset, people everywhere
are saying that the WWF should have stopped the event on Sunday, I
disagree. I feel that when Owen was in the ring he always gave the fans
100% and he would know that the show must go on. Owen would have wanted
it that way. I'm leaving for Calgary on Sunday and I will be going to
the funeral on Monday morning. My thoughts and prayers are with Martha
and the rest of the Hart Family. God Bless. Please lets not let Owen die
in Vain. Remember all the good things that he gave us, and always keep
him alive in your hearts!
- Codi
May 26, 1999: I was at the Philadelphia airport, waiting for a connecting flight when I spotted Owen Hart using a pay phone. I kept walking and had a seat at my terminal, waiting for my flight. Mr Hart was in the terminal across the walkway from me, waiting for his flight. I walked over, and asked
if he had the time to talk. He said yes, and I sat down. I have always
been a fan of wrestling. My stepfather worked in Phil Hickerson's
wrestling school when he was young, helping train the aspiring
wrestlers. (Phil Hickerson is a legend back home in Tennessee). From
his stories, I knew how demanding the profession was. The first thing I
told Owen was how much I appreciated the things he did in the ring for
the fans. I told him how much I appreciated the way he always seemed to
be giving 100% even when he looked to be hurt. This suprised Owen, who
said he had never heard that before, saying most people just ask if it
is "real" or say what a big fan they are. Then we shifted our
conversation to hockey and talked about that for about 15 minutes
before he had to board his plane. On his way to the door, to get on his
plane, he called me over (remembering my name) and extended his hand.
We shook hands and then he left. I have always remembered how polite,
articulate, and personable he was to a complete stranger. I have two
kids, just like Owen. I prayed for his children and wife. I had the
pleasure of being at the RAW this past Monday. There were very few dry
eyes in the building after the event. I had bought the tickets months
ago, and had anticipated a blockbuster night, seeing as how it was the
night after the PPV. My wife and I almost did not go, we were so shaken
by his death. I am glad I did. I am glad that after the opening video
tribute, when there was a very uncomfortable silence for about 10
seconds, I yelled as loud as I could "WE LOVE YOU OWEN". This caused a
thunderous ovation which turned into the first "OWEN" chant of the
night. I am glad I taped it at home, to hear Jim Ross and Jerry Lawlers
emotional final thoughts on the night.
God Bless you Owen Hart. Thank you for giving your life to entertain
me. My prayers are with your family.
YOU WILL LIVE FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS!
- Ron
May 26, 1999: i don't know how to start out... i guess first i should say i am NOT a good speller so for any mistakes, i'm sorry. next, i live in florida and i've always been a big fan of the undertaker but i never really kept up with wwf until this year. my boyfriend is a big wcw fan and i've dragged him into watching wwf with me. after we watched all the shows and pay-pre-views and such, we had a pretty good list of faves. of course, my number 1 was still the undertaker. my boyfriends was the rock. together we liked people such as road dog, x-pac, gold dust, gangrel and debra, jeff jarrett and owen hart. a while back (few months ago), we watched a special on brett hart. we really enjoyed learning 'bout him, and his brothers and the rest of his family. after we saw that, we started paying more attention to owen hart and his tag team buddy, jeff. 2 weeks ago, my boyfriend took me up to kansas (thats where he was from) to visit with his family and to go to his dads college graduation. they lived in derby... 3 hours away from kansas city and when we found out that we could get tickets to a wwf pay-pre-view event in kemper arena, kansas city, we got them! especially since the undertaker and (the one wrestler that i can't stand) stone cold were gonna go at it for the belt. when we were in kansas, we looked on line to see the list of people that were going to wrestle we were VERY excited to go... we decided to make posters. i made one of my little teddy bear that said "candy bear is the CHAMP" i basically did it... just to confuse people... to make them wonder what a little teddy bear, dressed in cat pj's, was doing with the world heavy weight belt. my boyfriend decided to do a poster for someone whom we were going to cheer for and who we thought wouldn't have many posters. he did one for the blue blazer. half way through the event, we watched owen hart (dressed as the blue blazer) fall to his death. there aren't enough words to describe how it felt to see what we saw. everything happened in only a few min. yet it felt like... forever... after he fell, it took a few seconds for everyone (even the officials) to realize what had happened then jerry "the king" lawler came running over and took his pulse and then just... cradled owen in his arms. owen moved a little, and then stopped moving at all. i can't speak for anyone else, but i know I was in denial. i didn't want to believe it was real... i wanted to think it was part of the story line, that he'd hobble back in at the last min. and make some speech. then, the police officers and the paramedics came out and got in the ring and immediately started doing CPR. it was really scary to see that... it started to sink in that what i saw was real. that owen was dyeing some part of me was hoping and praying that it was still fake. that owen was ok. and that it was all part of a story but deep down, i knew it wasn't. after about 15 min. of doing CPR, the paramedics stopped, and put owen on the stretcher and took him out of the arena. everyone thought that they stopped because the saved his life, but later, that night on a local radio station, we found out that owen hart had died before leaving the arena. i still can't find the words to describe what we saw that night. i feel so... terrible.... i feel so bad for owen... for his 2 small children.. for his wife... for his brothers and for his mother and father... i also feel bad for jeff jarret and debra, because you could tell the 3 of them were close. and i feel bad for the millions of people who witnessed the same tragic accident that i did. never in my life, did i ever even fathom that i would watch a man die. i know never want to see it again. and i wish that nobody else has to see it. owen was a kind, kind man. i know he is in a better place, laughing and telling jokes.
May 26, 1999: hello i liked owen hart and i think that he is cool and awasome
- Steve
May 25, 1999: I just want to say that my 11 y/o daughter and I were watching the PPV with our family when this happened and this is the first time I can remember her crying over the death of anybody.. not even a family member. It broke my heart to see her so upset and I cannot
even begin to imagine the pain the Hart family is feeling right now.
My prayers go out to them and I hope that his children will always
be able to look back and feel the love that the fans had for their
Dad. We'll never forget you Owen, may you rest in peace..
- Jeanetta
May 25, 1999: I just want to say that me and my sister's favorite wrestler was Owen Hart-and I'm not saying that because he's gone. Me and my sister usually like the bad guys, and Owen was best at it. Owen shouldn't of
had to live in Bret's shadow as many people say he did. Owen was a more
technically sound performer and I enjoyed watching him perform even more
than Bret. I still feel that he should have won the Royal Rumble and
become the WWF champion. He deserved the chance. I knew and my sister
knew that in our HARTS, Owen would very soon become the WWF champ--and I
could not wait for that day. But now he is a champion in heaven and he
will never be defeated! When I heard the tragic news, my HART stopped
and tears came to my eyes. I knew my hero would never become the
Intercontinental champ again or even the WWF champ. In closing, I'd like to
speak for the millions and millions of the "Blackharts" fans....."Enough
is Enough, It's time for a change!" -O.H. You will never be forgotten and you never were a nugget, only a champion and a great family man! God bless you Owen and your entire family.
- Adam and Family from Middletown, NY
May 25, 1999: First off I would like to send out my thoughts and prayers to the entire Hart family, and all of Owen's friends and fans. It is so hard to believe this has even happened. With all the danger the wrestlers face, I would never have imagined an accident would happen in this way. As fans, we know the wrestlers face injury each time they perform for us, and we need to let the wrestlers know that we do not expect them to perform stunts such as the one Owen was going to do. I saw an interview with Bret, Helen, and Owen's wife this morning on the Today Show. I have to agree with them that wrestlers should not be expected to perform the work of stuntmen. It is a shame that we have almost lost the wrestling in "pro wrestling". I will not repeat all the news about the tragedy here, as I'm sure you've heard it in the media and on other websites. Instead, for the moment I'd like to continue having you send in your thoughts and help to celebrate the life of Owen Hart.
May 26, 1999: I forgot to mention yesterday that on the night of Owen's death, I was watching a sports show and the 2 guys were talking to a wrestling historian. The news men were saying something like "Isn't this due to the need for ratings, and the use of sex and drugs?". First of all, I have NEVER EVER seen a wrestler "use" drugs on television, or anyone in wrestling use drugs as part of any storyline. Really though, sex and drugs had nothing to do with Owen's fall, and it is crazy the media would say this. Just by the example of wrestling, it really makes you question just how many lies are told to us in the media. On to the issue of what Owen was about to do with his arena entrance. Does anyone remember Shawn Michaels making an entrance from the top of the arena at Wrestlemania, only to have a 1 hour WRESTLING match with Bret Hart? I'm just saying that to remind people that an entrance like that doesn't seem to me to be related to the bad things about pro wrestling these days. I do agree with Bret that I wish the shows were more wrestling oriented though. I just heard this morning on the news that Owen's outfit may have got caught on something, thus causing the fall. It really is sad to hear every single report mention the Blue Blazer, especially where Owen is said not to have even liked this character, and it may make people who don't know much about wrestling think he was sort of silly. We all know that is not true though. Keep sending in your thoughts.