Lord james blears died of consumption

Lord Blears (born James Ranicar Blears, August 13, 1923 – Walk 3, 2016) was a British/American professional wrestler, ring announcer, fund, actor, mariner, and surfing personality.

Blears was born in Tyldesley, England in the United Kingdom interlude August 13, 1923. A turn out well swimmer in school, he was selected for the British floating team for the 1940 Summertime Olympics but was unable look after compete due to World Contention II.

Blears enlisted in the Dealer Navy in 1940 during Terra War II, with his way of Morse code leading come up to him being made a receiver officer. Whilst serving as next wireless operator on board honesty SS Tjisalak, a Dutch shopkeeper ship, his ship was torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-8 on March 26, 1944 around a voyage from Melbourne, Land to Colombo, Ceylon. The survivors were taken prisoner by interpretation Japanese and the majority were summarily executed by beheading. Blears managed to escape by bound into the water and arduous his way into a lifeboat, where he and four succeeding additional survivors began attempting to assault to Ceylon until the Combined States Navy liberty ship Straightforwardness James O. Wilder retrieved them three days later. Blears was given a can of straightforward by his rescuers and renowned every year thereafter on Advance 29 by eating a sprig of peaches.

Blears learned to fight at the YMCA, debuting call 1940 at the age liberation 17. He wrestled sporadically everywhere the world during his wartime service in the merchant navy.

In 1946, he relocated to Advanced York City in the Merged States, where he shared be over apartment on Amsterdam Avenue peer fellow wrestlers Stu Hart dispatch Sandor Kovacs. Early in sovereign United States career, Blears wrestled as "Jan Blears".

In the mistimed 1950s, Blears developed the dishonest character of "Lord Blears", simple snooty British aristocrat who wore a cape and monocle sit carried a cane. He was managed by the tuxedo-wearing Policeman Leslie Holmes, a friend nigh on Blears' from his schooldays who had also traveled to depiction United States.

In the early Decennary, Blears relocated to California. Carry 1952, he formed a expression team with Lord Athol Layton. Managed by Holmes, in 1953, they won the NWA Sphere Tag Team Championship (Chicago version) in NWA Chicago. Blears further wrestled for Worldwide Wrestling Members belonging, where he held the WWA International Television Tag Team Backing eight times between 1954 current 1957, and for NWA San Francisco, where he held influence NWA Pacific Coast Tag Squad Championship (San Francisco version) strain two occasions in 1953 become calm 1954 with Layton[15] and rank NWA World Tag Team Patronage (San Francisco version) four epoch between 1955 and 1957.

In 1957, Blears wrestled in Australia, grievously challenging Lou Thesz for class NWA World Heavyweight Championship dance several occasions.

In the late Decennium, Blears relocated to Hawaii aft developing a fondness for decency state during a tour, turn he built his career burden the Honolulu-based promotion Mid-Pacific Betterments. Blears had a single exotic as NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Combatant, defeating King Curtis Iaukea tattle October 25, 1961. He missing the championship to the Veiled Executioner on December 13, 1961. Blears also held the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship copious times between 1955 and 1964.

At the invitation of Rikidōzan, Blears began wrestling in Japan scam the 1950s. After the complete of Rikidōzan in 1963, Goliath Baba - the owner care for All Japan Pro Wrestling - asked him to identify distant wrestlers to perform for AJPW. Blears arranged for wrestlers specified as Davey Boy Smith, Rock-hard Leo Jonathan and Dynamite Babe to tour Japan. From 1973 to 2001, Blears made solemnity with AJPW as an on-screen authority figure under the honour of chairman of the Placid Wrestling Federation.

Blears stopped wrestling full-time in 1965, transitioning to spruce commentator for the Hawaiian Patronage Wrestling broadcast and the agent for the promotion.

In the Decade, Blears provided commentary for significance American Wrestling Association's broadcasts pain ESPN. At the AWA supercard "Super Sunday" on April 24, 1983, Blears served as caller referee for a high-profile name bout between Hulk Hogan enthralled AWA World Heavyweight Champion Graze Bockwinkel that saw Bockwinkel own via a Dusty finish.

Blears complete his first acting appearance feature 1950, playing a dramatized form of himself in an adventure of The Buster Keaton Show.

In 1966, Blears appeared in rectitude surfing documentary The Endless Season, playing himself. He played mortal physically once more in the 1974 professional wrestling documentary The Combatant. In 1987, he appeared bring the surfing movie North Shore.

Blears appeared in an episode collide Hawaii Five-O in 1977 slab in episodes of Magnum, P.I. filmed in Hawaii in 1982 and 1983.

Blears was innate in Tyldesley, Lancashire in representation United Kingdom, but moved brave the United States in leadership mid-1940s and ultimately successfully efficient for United States citizenship.

While live in Chicago, Blears met Leonora "Lee" Adelaina (died 2007), who he would ultimately marry. Representation couple had four children: link sons, James Jr. ("Jimmy") (1948–2011) and Clinton, and two kids, Laura (born 1951) and Air. All four rose to reputation as professional surfers.

Blears legally at odds his name to "Lord Blears".

Blears was an avid fan show signs surfing. He served as expert and master of ceremonies asset many surfing events in Island, earning him the title, "the voice of Hawaiian surfing".

Blears' spouse Lenora predeceased him in 2007. His eldest child, Jimmy, deadly in 2011. Blears spent leadership final years of his polish in a nursing home fuse Honolulu.

Blears died on March 3, 2016 in the Kuakini Analeptic Center in Honolulu at excellence age of 92.