According to Slam Wrestling, Sonny King (real name Larry Anderson), a former WWWF Tag Team Champion in 1972, passed away on Saturday at the age of 79.
King was a former pro boxer who got into wrestling after becoming friends with Ernie Ladd. He trained in Detroit and debuted in 1968 in Big Time Wrestling. He also worked in several territories including Houston, Dallas, and Florida, the latter of which saw him challenge Dory Funk for the NWA World Title in 1971.
King went to the WWWF in 1971 and eventually teamed with Chief Jay Strongbow, and they would win the WWWF Tag Team Championship in May of 1972, a reign that lasted 36 days before losing it to Mr. Fuji and Toru Tanaka. King returned to wrestling after a scary incident with a fan in 1982 in Charlotte, where he was nearly killed. He then ultimately retired in 1985. King owned an operated a junkyard in Florida following the end of his wrestling career.
