Territory Wrestling Legend Buddy Colt Passes Away At 85
Ron Read, better known as Buddy Colt has passed away.
A legendary star of the territory era, Colt’s life was changed forever when a plane he was piloting a plane and crashed en-route to Tampa. On the plane with Colt was Gary Hart, Austin Idol, and Bobby Shane. Sadly Shane did not survive.
Buddy Colt spoke with ABC Action News in 2019 about the crash and injuries.
“I had to wear a steel brace, which completely shattered my right ankle. I wrestled three matches after [the crash] all tag-team matches, and I did very little. I realized pretty quickly that I couldn’t perform [in the ring] any longer.”
Regarding his love for wrestling, Colt described his passion for the ring.
“It’s [professional wrestling] in my blood. There’s nothing like wrestling in front of a capacity crowd with fans screaming your name,” Read says. “Professional wrestling turned my life around – I absolutely love it.”
Reportedly, Colt was suffering from dementia and Parkinson’s prior to his death.
Fightful extends its condolences to Buddy Colt’s family, friends, and fans.
