10 Professional wrestling deaths in 2019

#9 Yusuke 'Wally' Yamaguchi

Yusuke Yamaguchi, better known as Yamaguchi-san during his WWE tenure, began his career in the '70s as a writer for Gong Magazine. He was a lifelong fan of professional wrestling, and in the '80s, he began working for several Japanese promotions as a referee, manager, and commentator.

Yamaguchi signed with WWE in March 1998 and became a manager for the Japanese stable Kaientai, who feuded with former WWE Light Heavyweight Championship Taka Michinoku.

Yamaguchi's younger brother, Shun Yamaguchi, currently works for WWE as a Japanese commentator/announcer for the company's pay-per-view events. At the age of 60, Yusuke Yamaguchi died on 9 March 2019, after a long battle with an undisclosed illness.

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#8 Salvatore Bellomo

Salvatore Bellomo joined the WWF (now WWE) in 1983. During his tenure, he wrestled Superstars such as Jesse 'The Body' Ventura, Bob Backlund and Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan. Bellomo lost to Backlund in the latter's last match of the decade and to Heenan in a match at Madison Square Garden in 1984.

Bellomo was also a fixture of NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling (which later became Extreme Championship Wrestling or ECW) from 1993 to 1994. In 1993, he wrestled in the first-ever ECW Championship match, where he lost to Jimmy Snuka.

On 9 February 2019, Bellomo passed away due to cancer at the age of 67.