Black Bart Passes Away At the Age of 76

Black Bart, real name Richard Harris, has passed away at the age of 76 following a battle with cancer. His wife Linda made the announcement on Facebook.

She wrote: “You might know him as Black Bart but to me he was my husband Ricky. He left us this morning. He was pronounced at 5:26 this morning. He is Resting In Peace.”

Bart was a mentor to JBL, who paid tribute to him on Twitter. He wrote: “Black Bart took me under his wing and taught me how to be a professional wrestler. We were tag champs in Texas-but we were also just buddies. We sat together in the dressing room while Bart spit in his trashcan and constantly joked about everything. Bart meant the world to me. I love you big brother. RIP”

Black Bart took me under his wing and taught me how to be a professional wrestler. We were tag champs in Texas-but we were also just buddies. We sat together in the dressing room while Bart spit in his trashcan and constantly joked about everything. Bart meant the world to me. I… pic.twitter.com/ItRybdJphl

— John Layfield (@JCLayfield) January 10, 2025

Bart worked in both WWE and WCW as enhancement talent, but also worked in the territories, particularly Mid-South and Florida. He also worked Mid-Atlantic, Georgia, WCCW, UWF and more.

411 would like to give our condolences to the family, friends and fans of Mr. Harris.