Smith Hart obit

Former Stampede Wrestling star Smith Hart dies at 68

Hart was diagnosed with Stage-4 cancer in December 2016

 He was not on the list.

Smith Hart, the eldest child of professional wrestling legend Stu Hart, has died.

He was 68.

Hart's death was announced Sunday by the WWE, as well as by family and friends on social media.

He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer several months ago, which later spread to his hip and femur, and in December 2016 doctors diagnosed him with Stage-4 cancer.

The eldest of Stu and Helen Hart's 12 children, Smith began competing in his father's Stampede Wrestling organization in 1973 before moving on to work for promotions in Japan, England, Germany and the Netherlands.

Hart's younger brother, WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart, was also diagnosed with prostate cancer but underwent successful treatment.

Smith was the first of their twelve children, being one of their eight sons, Bruce, Keith, Wayne, Dean, Bret, Ross and Owen followed him. Hart is also the father of two professional wrestlers, Mike and Matt Hart. Hart wrestled for the majority of his career in Canada but also worked briefly in other countries and is best known for his time in Stampede Wrestling and for his appearances for WWE. He died in 2017 due to prostate cancer.

Hart was born in New York and was a dual citizen of the United States and Canada.

He was of Greek descent through his maternal grandmother and Irish through his maternal grandfather. His father was mainly of Scots-Irish descent but also had Scottish and English ancestry.

When he was less than a year old his mother, Helen Hart, suffered an automobile accident while pregnant with his younger brother Bruce. As a result, he was sent to live with his maternal grandparents, Harry and Elizabeth Smith, for over two years.

Smith taught his younger brother Bret to draw.

He wrestled in his father's Stampede Wrestling promotion and in Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council, as well as trips to Japan, England, Germany and the Netherlands. He also helped out behind the scenes at Stampede Wrestling.

In 1973 Hart debuted for his father's promotion Stampede Wrestling in a tag team match with Bob Pringle against Joe Tomasso and Super Hawk in Regina. He later went on that same year to working in matches with Frank Butcher. Late that year he also tag teamed with his brother Bruce against Frank Butcher and Kim Klokeid.

In 1974 Hart began working for the Japanese promotion International Wrestling Enterprise, he first worked in a match against Katsuzo Oiyama in Sagamihara. Hart was sent to Japan primarily to train since his father wanted him to get more experience and discipline. Hart's brother Bret has stated that Hart suffered through a lot of stress and was unhappy during this period. Hart has claimed that his time in Japan caused the breakup with his then girlfriend and mother of his first child, Marla.

From 1977 to 1980 Hart worked and wrestled in collaboration with Stampede Wrestling and the National Wrestling Alliance in matches against Gordon Ivey, Jim Custer and Steve Novak among others. In this period, he also was in a three-man tag team stable together with his brothers Bruce and Keith, they wrestled and defeated Bud Osborne, John Foley and Ray Osborne.

At the 1994 SummerSlam event Hart and his brothers can be seen attempting to climb the cage in which Bret and Owen Hart had their match.

On March 28, 2010, Hart made an appearance at Wrestlemania 26 to help his brother Bret defeat Vince McMahon in a No Holds Barred Match. The storyline was that McMahon had paid off Smith and all the other Hart family members to betray Bret, but they all doublecrossed him and helped Bret win the match.

Hart also appeared on WWE television at his father Stu's Hall of Fame induction together with his sibling.

On November 6, 2011, Smith brought back Stampede Wrestling in Barrie, Ontario.

In February 2013 Smith became an executive member of the Victory Commonwealth Wrestling board of directors along with "Soulman" Ricky Johnson, uncle of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. He has since made many appearances for the company under both the VCW and Hogtown Pro Wrestling names.

In April 2014 Hart announced that David Benoit, the son of late wrestler Chris Benoit was to make his in ring debut for the Hart Legacy Wrestling promotion on July 18 in a tag team match with Chavo Guerrero. Hart claimed that Benoit had been trained by his nephew David Hart Smith. The match was later canceled in May when Chris Jericho informed Guerrero that David did not have any formal training. Hart had told different versions to the two men, to Guerrero he had said that David had received training for the match but had also told Jericho that David would not be wrestling, just involved in a storyline.

He was at one point booker for the Canadian-based Great North Wrestling company.

Hart opened a "Hart Brothers Wrestling School" in Cambridge, Ontario, which has trained many wrestlers including the Highlanders.

On November 19, 2013, Smith joined PWMania.com as a columnist.

In 2011 Hart appeared the Canadian show Dragon's Den, Season 6 Episode 4. Hart and his son Matt are the subjects of the documentary Hart Still Beating, directed by Fred Kroetsch and Kurt Spenrath.