Edmonton Sun Article On Benoit Tragedy
From the Edmonton Sun:
The former mayor who declared Chris Benoit Day in Edmonton three years ago was stunned to hear that the hometown wrestling hero, his wife and son are dead.
“It’s a terrible tragedy,” Bill Smith said tonight. “I couldn’t believe what I heard.”
WWE fans around the globe were reeling in grief yesterday as news that Benoit, 40, had been found dead in his suburban Atlanta home, along with his wife and son, began filtering out. The news was broken to the world on the WWE’s website.
Lt. Tommy Pope of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department in suburban Atlanta said the three were found at their home about 2:30 p.m., but refused to release details.
Pope said results of autopsies on Benoit, his wife Nancy, and seven-year-old son Daniel were expected Tuesday.
Some media reports say no guns were involved.
Benoit’s wife, Nancy, managed several wrestlers and went by the stage name, “Woman.” The newspaper says they met when her then-husband drew up a script that had them involved in a relationship as part of an ongoing storyline on Turner-owned World Championship Wrestling.
The WWE cancelled its live “Raw” wrestling card Monday night in Corpus Christi, Texas. Canadian television network The Score aired a three-hour tribute to Benoit in place of the scheduled telecast.
The tribute began with WWE chairman Vince McMahon standing in the middle of an empty ring, eyes welling up with tears and voice cracking as he spoke.
“We at the WWE can only offer our condolences to the extended family of Chris Benoit,” said McMahon.
“The only other thing we can do at this moment is pay tribute to Chris Benoit.”
Benoit was born in Montreal, but grew up in Edmonton where he graduated from Archbishop O’Leary Catholic high school in 1985.
Vicki O’Neill, who taught Benoit and considered him a friend, remembered him as a very “kind and supportive student.”
“He was well liked at school. He treated people with respect and a very loyal friend,” she said.
“Chris was a very kind student. He was hard-working, committed to his vision, which was to be a wrestler.”
Smith said Benoit remained humble, even after he realized his dreams.
“He was a pretty quiet guy for a guy in show business. When I talked to him on the phone one week before I declared Benoit Day, he was pretty excited coming here,” he said. “He was at that time the world champion.”
Wrestling insider Dave Meltzer, who runs the website wrestlingobserver.com and knew Benoit for 20 years, said he’s heard “a million rumours” about what happened in the Benoit house.
Benoit was supposed to appear at a wrestling show in Beaumont, TX, on Saturday, but didn’t appear, Meltzer said.
When he failed to appear at a pay-per-view event Sunday in Houston, Meltzer said, organizers covered by saying Benoit had to cancel because of “personal issues.”
Meanwhile, Metlzer said, WWE brass were frantically phoning Benoit at home to find out what was going on.
Finally, he said, they called the local police and asked them to check out his home.
“I’m shaken up,” Meltzer said. “Chris was as respected as any wrestler in the last 25 years. The younger wrestlers of today idolized him or looked up to him.”
-With files from Canadian Press
renato.gandia@edmsun.com
