Larry “The Axe” Hennig, the father of the late Curt “Mr. Perfect” Hennig and grandfather of WWE Superstar Curtis Axel, passed away today at the age of 82. The news was announced by The Post and Courier’s Mike Mooneyham.

Hennig made his professional wrestling debut in 1956 and worked for the American Wrestling Association starting from the early 1960s. He is best known for his tag team work with Harley Race, a tag team that won the AWA World Tag Team titles on multiple occasions.

Larry also teamed with his son Curt and before his retirement in 1985, the father-and-son duo won the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team championship.

Hennig was married to Irene and the two had five children together.