Adios, Captain

"Captain" Lou Albano, who became one of the most recognized professional wrestlers of the 1980s after appearing in Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" music video, got pinned by death at 76.

With his trademark Hawaiian shirts, wiry goatee and rubber bands hung like piercings from his cheek, Albano skyrocketed to fame when he appeared in Lauper's music video. Partly because of the success of Albano's partnership with Lauper, the World Wrestling Federation forged ties with the music industry that helped bring it to a wider national audience in the mid-1980s. It was a time when wrestlers such as Albano, Hulk Hogan, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Andre the Giant were so popular that they could headline a television cartoon series and appear in movies. Albano later appeared in episodes of Miami Vice and as Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show.