Lou Albano Louis Albano ( July 29 , 1933 – October 14 , 2009 ) , better known as Captain Lou , was an Italian - American professional wrestler and manager . With an over - the - top personality and a penchant for making boisterous declarations , Albano was the epitome of the antagonistic manager that raised the ire of wrestlers and incited the anger of spectators . Throughout his forty - year career , Albano guided 15 different tag teams and 4 singles competitors to championship gold . A unique showman , with an elongated beard , rubberband facial piercings , and loud outfits , he was the forefather of the 1980s Rock ' n ' Wrestling explosion . Collaborating with Cyndi Lauper , Albano helped usher in wrestling ' s crossover success with a mainstream audience . Capitalizing on his success , the Hall of Famer later ventured into Hollywood with various television , film , and music projects . World Wide Wrestling Federation . Albano achieved moderate success as a tag team performer with partner Tony Altimore . Dubbed The Sicilians , Altimore and Albano drew considerable heat competing as a stereotypical Italian gangster combo . Their realistic depiction of their characters caught the attention of actual mafiosi . The two were approached by local mafia members who requested that the duo tone down their act . Over the next few years , The Sicilians continued their success by winning the Midwest tag team titles and later the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship from Arnold Skaaland and Spiro Arion . Following the encouragement of fellow wrestler Bruno Sammartino , Albano transformed himself into the brash , bombastic manager Captain Lou Albano . With a quick wit and a grating personality , Albano delivered memorable promo s that made him wrestling ' s most villainous manager . He earned the scorn of the wrestling audience as he attempted to dethrone World Wide Wrestling Federation superstar and WWWF champion Bruno Sammartino . In 1971 , Albano achieved his objective when " Russian Bear " Ivan Koloff ended Sammartino ' s seven - year reign as champion . Koloff ' s reign marked the only time that Albano would manage a World Heavyweight champion . For the remainder of the seventies Albano ' s cadre of loyal henchmen were unable to resecure the championship . Notwithstanding , Albano guided singles wrestlers such as Pat Patterson , Don Muraco , and Greg ' The Hammer ' Valentine to the Intercontinental Championship . Furthermore , Albano carved a prolific legacy that remains unmatched by guiding over a dozen teams to the WWWF World Tag Team Championships . Under his tutelage , Mr . Fuji and Mr Saito , The Valiant Brothers , Wild Samoans , The Moondogs , and The British Bulldogs were a few of many that solidified Albano as wrestling ' s premiere tag team manager . By the end of his career , Albano managed over 50 different wrestlers that won two dozen championships . Rock ' n ' Wrestling Connection . By the 1980s , Albano appeared in pop sensation Cyndi Lauper ' s wildly popular " Girls Just Want To Have Fun " music video . Parlaying the venture , new WWF owner Vince McMahon devised the Rock ' n ' Wrestling storyline , a collaboration and cross - promotion between the newly renamed WWF and elements of the music industry . Albano was the catalyst that launched professional wrestling into the stratosphere with mainstream America . During a public appearance at Madison Square Garden , the treacherous manager made sexist comments that outraged the singer and non - wrestling fans . Furthermore , on WWF television , Albano made the audacious claims that he was Lauper ' s manager and that he was the architect of her success . The two settled their differences on the MTV / WWF special " The War To Settle The Score " . Following Lauper ' s victory at the event , Albano apologized to Lauper and instantly became a fan favorite and the voice of Rock ' n ' Wrestling . The crossover storyline , coupled with the Hulkamania phenomenon and the first WrestleMania , triggered a period of unprecedented success for not only the WWF , but for the professional wrestling industry as a whole . Moreover , Albano helped cement wrestling ' s place within pop culture . Following the colossal success of the Rock ' n ' Wrestling Connection , Albano left the WWF in 1986 to focus on various projects . Except for a brief return in 1994 to manage The Headshrinkers , Albano has since retired from the wrestling industry . Hollywood crossover and semi - retirement . Capitalizing on his new found celebrity , Albano began appearing in a vast array of television and film projects . Throughout the late eighties , Albano appeared in " 227 " , " Miami Vice " , " Hey Dude " , Brian De Palma ' s " Wiseguys " and the 1987 wrestling movie " Body Slam " . Expanding into music , Albano managed and performed with rockers NRBQ . He was immortalized in the song " Captain Lou " on their " Lou and the Q " album . In 1989 , on " Live with Regis and Kathie Lee " , Albano shaved his trademark beard to star as the iconic video game character Mario in The Super Mario Bros . Super Show . The one - time villain hosted live action segments during interludes of the Mario cartoon , as well as providing the voice of his animated counterpart . Albano also went on to star in several local commercials on Putnam and northern Westchester cable systems , including ads for Tireman ' s Tires and Golden House Chinese restaurant . During the 1990s , Albano became a vegetarian and shed 150 lbs . following a health scare . In May 2005 , Albano suffered a heart attack , but later recovered . Despite his health issues and foray into mainstream entertainment , Albano continued to be involved in the wrestling industry until shortly before his death . Albano co - authored the book " The Complete Idiot ' s Guide to Pro - Wrestling . " In 1996 , Albano was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame . Captain Lou made a brief appearance on the June 11th episode of Monday Night Raw , paying his respects to the career of WWE owner Vince McMahon . Albano died of natural causes at age 76 on October 14 , 2009 in Carmel , New York . His health had been deteriorating for some time and he was in hospice care at the time of his death .