Georgiann Makropolous, who has been involved in the wrestling fan club and newsletter business dating back to 1959, passed away earlier today after suffering a heart attack. She was 68.
In recent years she worked for WrestlingFigs.com, keeping fans up to date on wrestling stars of yesteryear and appearances. She notably ran Bruno Sammartino’s fan club and was a fixture for decades at ringside at Madison Square Garden during the 60s, 70s and 80s. However, she is best known for her Wrestling Chatterbox newsletter, which she published for the past 22 years.
It should also be mentioned that she was admired among many within the wrestling industry. Paul Heyman wrote of her passing that “pro wrestling lost its best friend.”
Wrestlingfigs.com released the following statement this evening regarding her passing:
Georgiann Makropoulos Passes Away
WrestlingFigs.com has just learned that our very own Georgiann Markopoulos passed away today at the age of 68.
Georgiann Makropoulos was well known and sincerely admired throughout the world of professional wrestling. After conquering a bout of meningitis as a teenager, her grandfather took her to a wrestling show at Sunnyside Gardens in Queens, New York in November of 1959 and she fell in love with the sport. Her favorite wrestler at the time was Bruno Sammartino and she became Fan Club President not only to the Living Legend, but to other greats such as Bob Orton Sr., Ken Patera, Bill Dromo, & Buddy Rogers.
It wouldn’t be long before her interest in the business brought wrestling publications interested in her talents asking her to submit content for them. It began with listing wrestling Fan Clubs, writing stories and taking photos but would eventually culminate in her own newsletter Wrestling Chatterbox, a postal mail publication with exclusive news, photos and content that has been published monthly for over 22 years.
It should also come as no surprise that Georgiann’s talents made their way to the internet. She worked for 1Wrestling.com for seven and a half years before leaving that site and working for Ringside Collectibles fan site, WrestlingFigs.com. Georgiann gave her readers tireless, constant news updates, eyewitness accounts from signings and live events, and had a one of a kind, unique bond with fans keeping them connected with the world of professional wrestling.
Georgiann was a huge Elvis fan. She also enjoyed reading wrestling books and watching television including soap operas and of course, professional wrestling. She was married to her husband George in 1974 and had a Siamese cat named Rocky.
Known as the “Godmother of Professional Wrestling,” Georgiann was close friends with many in the wrestling business and was always there to lend an ear or a helping hand to someone in need. Not only was she well liked by wrestling talent, journalists, and fans alike, she had a sparkling personality and an infectious spirit that made her easy to speak to and will no doubt make her missed.
WrestlingFigs.com would like to offer Georgiann’s friends, family, and loved ones our deepest condolences.
