page_title: Gholamreza Takhti
section_title: Death and legacy
hierarchical_section_title: Gholamreza Takhti / Death and legacy
caption_attribution_description: فارسی: آرامگاه غلامرضا تختی در گورستان ابن‌بابویه، شهر ری English: The grave of Mirza Abo al-Hasan Tabatabai (Jelveh) at Ibn Babawayh cemetery, Rey
context_page_description: Gholamreza Takhti was an Iranian Olympic Gold-Medalist wrestler and Varzesh-e Bastani practitioner. Popularly nicknamed Jahān Pahlevān because of his chivalrous behavior and sportsmanship, he was the most popular athlete of Iran in the 20th century, although dozens of Iranian athletes have won more international medals than he did.
  Takhti is still a hero to many Iranians. He is listed in the FILA wrestling hall of fame.
context_section_description: Takhti was found dead in his hotel room on January 7, 1968. The Iranian government officially proclaimed his death a suicide. However, some claim that he was murdered because of his political activities against the Pahlavi regime, accusing SAVAK, the Iranian intelligence agency at that time.  Because he was a national hero his funeral, organized by Hossein Towfigh, editor in chief of the late Towfigh magazine, drew hundreds of thousands of mourners. Towfigh magazine issued a special edition of their popular weekly magazine where they caricatured Takhti with angel wings flying high above the throngs of Iranian mourners at his own funeral with a caption that read "Don't cry for me, cry for your own plight."   Towfigh magazine was shut down by the Shah for several months after printing this cartoon.  He is buried at Ebn-e Babooyeh cemetery in Southern part of Tehran, near Shahr-e Ray, where he is commemorated every year by his fans. 
  After the 1979 political upheaval in Iran, many of the Savak officials, including its chief torturer Bahman Naderipour commonly known by his masked name Mr. Tehrani, were put on trial by the new regime.  In an open court hearing published in the then-open newspapers (Keyhaan and Ettela'at were the two most popular outlets reporting the court hearings at the time), Tehrani publicly confessed in the court that Takhti was arrested due to his open support of and collaboration with 'Nehzat Azadi' (Freedom Movement), a moderate anti-government movement lead by Mr. Bazargan and Ayatollah Taleghani during the Shah's rule..
  Takhti was survived by his wife and son, Babak Takhti, an author and translator. The movie Takhti, begun by Ali Hatami and finished by Behrooz Afkhami, examined some of the theories about Takhti's death.
caption: Takhti's tomb, Ebn-e Babvieh
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