WWE Hall Of Famer Terry Funk Was Reportedly In Tremendous Pain In Final Months

WWE Hall of Famer Terry Funk died on August 23 at the age of 79. In the days since, several wrestlers and fellow Hall of Famers have shared their stories of watching, working with, and learning from the hardcore legend.

Dave Meltzer reported in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Funk's funeral was held in Amarillo, Texas, on Friday, September 1. Many wrestlers attended to celebrate Funk's life, but heartbreaking details were also learned.

It was said that Funk was in "tremendous pain" throughout the last few months of his life. After being diagnosed with dementia in 2021, Funk resided in an assisted living home before transitioning to hospice care in recent months. Funk turned 79 on June 30 and by that point, many knew he was only given a few months left to live. His family requested that the news be kept quiet in spite of the suffering he endured in those final months.

Two of Funk's mentees in Mick Foley and Tommy Dreamer have both credited Funk for changing the culture of how American wrestlers are perceived in Japan. His reach went well-beyond All Japan Pro Wrestling, too, as Funk also won gold in ECW, NWA, and Championship Wrestling from Florida, among others.

In his second and final WrestleMania appearance in 1998, Funk (as Chainsaw Charlie) teamed with Cactus Jack (Foley) to beat The New Age Outlaws to win the WWF World Tag Team Championship. Terry would later take his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009 alongside his brother Dory Jr.