James Harris, a WWE professional wrestler known as Kamala, has passed away at age 70.
The death of the wrestler was announced at first by the Twitter account @ 80sWrestling_ and later confirmed by the official WWE profile.
At the moment the cause of his death has not been officially confirmed, although the latest information reveals that Kamala tested positive for coronavirus days before his death.
This is assured by Jason King, a journalist for Bleacher Report, who reports that the wrestler’s wife confirms that Kamala had tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, which she probably contracted on one of her many weekly visits to get dialysis. He was hospitalized on Wednesday night and was in a good mood Sunday morning, but during the afternoon of that same Sunday, he suffered cardiac arrest and passed away.
Born in Senatobia, Mississippi, in May 1950, Harris began his professional wrestling career in 1978 under the name Sugar Bear. In 1982 the Continental Wrestling Association offered him a job and it was then that he developed the character of Kamala, a Ugandan-born cannibal. Harris made his WWE debut as Kamala in 1984 and went on to fight legends like Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant.
Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Harris left and returned to WWE on several occasions. He briefly worked for World Championship Wrestling in 1995 and was even the one who suggested that Hulk Hogan join the company. His last appearance for WWE took place in 2006, although he continued to work on the independent circuit until 2010. Harris began to suffer serious health problems shortly after, and even had his left leg amputated in November 2011 due to complications from the hypertension and diabetes. His other leg was amputated just five months later.
After being part of the world of wrestling for 30 years, in 2015 he decided to release his memoirs, entitled Kamala Speaks, recounting his experience in WWE.
