Dory Funk Jr., a pro wrestling icon and one of three members of the Funk family to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, has died at age 85.

Marti Funk, Funk’s wife of 40 years, told Florida’s Ocala Gazette that her husband died Tuesday while in hospice care. No further details were given.

Born on Feb. 3, 1941, in Hammond, Ind., Funk was the oldest of Dory and Dorothy Funk’s two sons. Spending most of his childhood in Amarillo, Texas, Funk grew up admiring his father, a professional wrestler and promoter who once wrestled in Canada as a heel named the Outlaw who hailed from the fictitious location of Double Cross Ranch. As wrestlers, Funk and his brother, Terry, often were billed as being from there as well.

“As a kid, I used to dream I could do all the things my father could do,” Funk said during a 2007 interview for World Wrestling Entertainment. “I wanted to be just like him.”

Funk played on the offensive and defensive lines of the West Texas State University football team (now West Texas A&M) from 1959 to 1962 — he was inducted into the university’s athletics Hall of Fame in 1990 — and went straight into professional wrestling. His 50-plus years in the business included stints in a number of associations across the United States and Japan.

He was the National Wrestling Alliance world heavyweight champion for more than four consecutive years (Feb. 11 1969 to May 24, 1973), the second-longest anyone has held that title uninterrupted. In 1986, Funk and his brother joined WWE (then known as WWF) as a team and defeated Tito Santana and Junkyard Dog at WrestleMania 2.

Funk’s involvement in wrestling also expanded into promotion. In addition, he and Marti owned and operated the Funking Conservatory, a wrestling school where he trained several future WWE superstars including Kurt Angle, Christian, Edge, the Hardy Boyz tag team duo (Matt and Jeff Hardy), Mark Henry and Mickie James.

“He was such a good guy,” Marti told the Ocala Gazette, “such a good guy!”

The Funk brothers were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009. Dory Funk Sr., who died in 1973 at age 54, was inducted posthumously to the hall’s Legacy Wing in 2025. Terry Funk died in 2023 at age 79.

WWE chief content officer Triple H announced Funk’s death Tuesday afternoon on social media.

“From the Double Cross Ranch to the @WWE Hall of Fame, Dory’s style inspired countless performers in our industry” Triple H wrote. “Whether it was at WrestleMania 2, WCW, ECW, or the dozens of NWA-affiliated promotions, his travels across North America and Asia were a part of the early blueprint that helped build this business into a global phenomena.

“A hard-nosed and fierce competitor, his rugged in-ring style was only eclipsed by the decades he spent training athletes to perform in the squared circle he loved so much. My thoughts and those of the entire @WWE Universe are with his loved ones during this difficult time.”

Many others from the pro wrestling world also posted heartfelt tributes on social media.

“I’m More Than Sorry To Hear About The Passing Of The Great And I Do Mean GREAT Dory Funk Jr.!” wrestling legend Ric Flair wrote. “If You Didn’t Have The Opportunity To Wrestle A Funk, Whether It Be Dory Or Terry, You Missed The Opportunity Of A Lifetime. The Word Wrestling And Funk Are Synonymous.

“There Are Not Enough Mount Rushmores To Accommodate Everybody, But I’m Sure That Anyone Who Wrestled Either One Of Them Would Agree That They’re On Someone’s Mount Rushmore. ... Rest In Peace My Great Friend Dory Funk Jr.! What A Great Ride You Had!”

Matt Hardy wrote: “He was such a big part of our beginnings in WWE. Learned invaluable lesson from him when he was heading up the WWE Dojo system back in 1998. Dory was a very patient & passionate teacher & an even kinder human being. Rest In Power, my friend.”

Former WWF wrestler B. Brian Blair wrote: “It’s hard to find the right words to say goodbye to a man who became a mentor, a leader, and a dear friend, Dory Funk Jr. My love for him started all the way back as a kid at the Bayfront Center, booing him as the ultimate heel while he took on my hero Jack Brisco. He was an absolute legend who commanded respect just by being himself.”

Former NWA world heavyweight champion and current WWE backstage producer Nick Aldis wrote: “Today we lost a true legend. A professional wrestler who dedicated his life to our business until his final day. A real world’s champion. Last of his kind. God Bless Dory Funk Jr.”