Former WWE star James Harris has died at the age of 70
The death of Harris, also known as “Kamala the Ugandan Giant”, was confirmed by WWE in an online statement.
“Under Kamala’s terrible face paint, the 6-foot-7, 380-pound Harris fought the greatest Superstars in the history of sports entertainment, including Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker and Andre the Giant,” the report said. “He terrorized opponents and coveted audiences in Mid-South, World Class Championship Wrestling, WCW and WWE until 2006.”
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The organization did not provide further details about Harris’ death. However, the pro wrestler’s autobiography, Kenny Casanova, said online that his death was due to coronavirus.
WWE star James ‘Kamala’ Harris (center) has died at the age of 70. (Thanks to WWE)
“To make matters worse, it was Corona who took him; he was one of the ‘good ones,'” the author wrote online, citing COVID-19, which is caused by the new coronavirus. “Kamala was one of the most believable monsters in wrestling. He played the role perfectly, but was also one of the nicest guys you could meet. When he helped him get his book out, we were through the years pretty close and I’m glad to have been his friend. “
Many health problems plagued Harris in recent years, including diabetes, which resulted in amputation of both legs. In fact, Casanova said in his post that his medical problems caused “financial problems”, and provided information for fans to make a monetary contribution for the family.
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Harris began his wrestling career under the name Sugar Bear Harris before running through a few other monikers, but found little success. It was not until a promoter suggested that Harris loosely based his persona on Ugandan dictator Idi Amin that he began to find success.
Harris was known to run in the ring with body and face paint and a spear.
James Harris was known as “Kamala the Ugandan Giant.” (Courtesy of WWE)
Critics claimed that Kamala’s character was based on racist stereotypes, as wrestling fans often used such terms as ‘cruel’ and ‘beast’ to describe him.
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Harris said in interviews, later in life, that he liked the gimmick and was not meant to cause harm. But he did notice that he was underpaid at the time compared to other wrestlers and treated badly.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
