Funeral set for pro wrestling great Bruno Sammartino

Published Apr. 20, 2018 1:38 p.m. ET

PITTSBURGH (AP) Funeral arrangements for former professional wrestler Bruno Sammartino are set for this weekend in Pennsylvania.

Sammartino died Wednesday after a two-month hospitalization. He was 82.

He fled the Nazis from Italy as a child and built a career beating a string of bad guys.

The height of Sammartino's fame came in the 1960s and 1970s. He was the World Wide Wrestling Federation champion for more than 11 years over two title runs.

Sammartino was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.

Visitation will be Saturday and Sunday in Pittsburgh. A funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church.