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Once again I have listed many new Ebay auctions of items from Georgiann's personal memorabilia collection.
Please check the link below.
All proceeds will go to help with the funeral expenses.
eBay.com
Seller List: bobmul345
Right now I am in complete shock. Georgie, who I was proud to call a friend for close to 20 years, is gone. I can not even put this into words so, for now.....
The following information is courtesy WrestlingFigs.com.
WrestlingFigs.com has just learned that our very own Georgiann Markopoulos passed away today at the age of 67.
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.
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Thomas M Quinn & Sons
35-20 Broadway
Long Island City, NY 11106
718-721-9200
Wake Tuesday 7PM-9PM
Wednesday 2PM-5PM
7PM-9PM
Mass: Thursday at Most Precious Blood......Time tba
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Paul Heyman posted his thoughts about the passing of Georgiann on his Heyman Hustle blog.
Paul Heyman: Pro Wrestling Loses It's Best Friend
Paul Heyman
Everyone here at The Heyman Hustle is saddened by the death of Georgiann Makropoulos. In many ways, Georgiann was professional wrestling's best friend, and she always took tremendous pride in the fact that she loved the business and was "house mom" to those involved. A truly genuine individual without a malicious bone in her body, all Georgiann wanted to do was help people (and go to Atlantic City). We extend our deepest condolences to her husband George, her family, and her network of friends (all of whom were considered by her to be family) around the world.
-- Paul Heyman
January 25, 2010
Last Updated ( Monday, 25 January 2010 17:16 )
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Today I received a phone call that blew me away. My long time dear
friend, the first lady of wrestling, Mrs. Georgiann Makpoulos passed away.
I was hearing the news yet I couldn't believe it.
The call came from the hospital by way of her husband George and photographer
Eric. They wanted me to know before it hit the message boards and I am
so thankful for that.
Georgiann and I IMed each other almost everyday. She would come to me
when she needed to find someone and I would go to her when I need a contact.
We had a thirty year friendship and I will truly miss my friend. We had
so many fun times at the AG Hall in Allentown, PA back in the late 1970's
and early 1980's when I was wrestling for the late Vince McMahon Sr. Our
friendship started then and we stayed close for all these years.
When Georgiann asked me to write a column for the Chatterbox I couldn't
say no. It was my honor and pleasure to help her in this way. I will never
forget the many times that she helped me out with kind words when over
the past few years I have lost so many family and friends and Georgiann
always knew what to say to cheer me up. Now I have to sit here and write
about her and its with a heavy heart that I do.
I will never forget our friendship and Georgiann passing my contact information
to Darren Aronofsky for the movie The Wrestler, where I trained Mickey
Rourke for his role. Georgiann always had my back and I will miss her
so much.
I am comforted to know that she is among so many greats in Heaven and
I know that she is with our Lord for she is a great lady. I can remember
so clearly Georgiann sitting in a folding chair outside AG Hall with a
smile and kind word for all of us who were away from our families while
on the road. I know she is sitting up there in Heaven and surrounded by
so many wrestlers who I am sure are welcoming her the way she always welcomed
us at the arena.
Be strong George and I am here for you if you need anything. I love you
my friend.
Afa "The Wild Samoan"
Pops
God is Good all the time
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Wrestling world mourns death of Georgiann Makropolous
By STEVEN JOHNSON -- SLAM! Wrestling
Though she never stepped in a wrestling ring, Georgiann Makropolous, who died of a heart attack Monday at 68, was as important to the sport in some ways as its most lauded combatants. Before the dawn of the Internet, Facebook and Twitter, Makropoulos was the definition of wrestling social media. She linked fans and wrestlers worldwide through her Chatterbox newsletter, her fan clubs, and her eagerly anticipated columns in wrestling magazines.
Makropolous documented her love of wrestling in almost everything she wrote. She got hooked on wrestling as a teenager just a few months after she graduated from high school on Long Island in 1959. Her first real involvement came with fan clubs for Buddy Rogers, Bob Orton Sr., and Bruno Sammartino, staples of New York wrestling in the early 1960s. In those days, fan clubs were a way for wrestlers and their fans to interact, and for fans to get in touch by snail mail with like-minded sorts.
In 1969, then Georgiann Orsi took over the "Fan-Land" column in Wrestling World, which was the best-written, if often hyperbolic, magazine of its time. Her three- and four-page columns were chock full of addresses of fan clubs, as well as prospective vendors who sold photos, results sheets and fanzines from their basements. Some of the names she mentioned are still well known today. Rock Riddle’s fan club for Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson was regularly cited; Riddle went on to become a successful pro. Dave Burzynski earned mentioned for his quality photos for sale; that’s Supermouth Dave Drason to wrestling fans. And Georgiann cited as "really good" the San Francisco Wrestling Beat of Ed Giovanetti, the future Moondog Moretti. Makropolous collected more than photos or programs though; she collected friends, according to her many contacts in the business. She regularly undertook causes for wrestlers, such as helping to raise money for Konnan’s kidney transplant in 2007.
Makropolous transitioned well to the digital age, writing columns for 1Wrestling.com for seven years before going to WrestlingFigs.com, where she kept the most accurate list of wrestling autograph and memorabilia events. From her home in Astoria, N.Y., she kept up her information-packed Chatterbox newsletter, which she started in the 1980s, and was known for her giveaways to promote local wrestling in the metropolitan New York area. In between, she found time to compile the definitive Sammartino record book, and she remained close to Sammartino until her death. Makropolous successfully battled cancer in 2004.
"In many ways, Georgiann was professional wrestling's best friend,
and she always took tremendous pride in the fact that she loved the business
and was ‘house mom’ to those involved," Paul Heyman recalled
for WrestlingFigs.com.
"She was someone I spoke with all the time and would consider one of my closest friends in the industry," wrote Wrestling Observer editor Dave Meltzer. "But she was loaded with friends, from wrestlers to fans. She worked on the Wrestling Figs web site and had continued doing her Wrestling Chatterbox newsletter for about 20 years."
Makropolous's Facebook profile quickly became a meeting place for her many, many friends (more than 1,000 with Facebook, and double that on MySpace).
"I dont know what I'll do with out you Momma G...you were my support, my ear, my momma. I love you," wrote Tammy "Sunny" Sytch. The Blue Meanie Brian Heffron called her "a treasure that can not be replaced."
Georgiann Makropolous is survived by her husband George. A funeral will be held Thursday at Thomas M Quinn & Sons, 35-20 Broadway, Long Island City, NY 11106, 718-721-9200.
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Wrestling Beloved Den Mother: the real end of an era
By Mike Lano
Georgie Makropoulos , the amazing queen of wrestling journalism, impacted everyone in the industry for over fifty years. From wrestlers, promoters, fans, etc; she was everyone’s friend and a respected journalist, often scooping the top pros who came to her for news verification, knowing she was many steps ahead already. But that was only a tiny bit of everything Georgie did, often seemingly doing the work of ten or more people. It’s just unfathomable that she was suddenly taken from us.
We first met when the former Ms Orsi wrote her powerful monthly fan club review column in the 60’s newstand magazines. She looked at my Original Sheik newsletter and said "Needs work, Hon." That was Georgie, totally honest but always willing to help everyone. Although she never missed the monthly Monday night shows at MSG and the weekly tv, she said her favorite WWWF venues were the more intimate RollaRama and Sunnyside Garden types prior to the opening of Nassau Coliseum(where she sat front and center). The “Clubs” as she, Bruno and Buddy Rogers called them. Only Georgie could twist Bruno’s arm to pose with Buddy out in the hallway during the ’91 Arezzi Weekend of Champions Convention in New York. That moment meant the world to her, and she still talked about it.
I’ll never forget her taking me to Arnie Skoaland’s private Holland Hotel enclave to get credentialed in 1974 to shoot at MSG. “He’ll forget he took care of you last month. Just give him this cigar and you’re set!” She was right. She not only kept in regular touch with the Skoalands well beyond Arnold's passing, but of course with Bruno, Ernie Roth, Myoko Blassie, the Albanos, Mick and Collete, Paul Heyman, Buddy Rogers widow Debbie, Michaels; and everyone. And she showed tremendous support for the indies from the 80's to current. She was much more to than her 20+ years of publishing her Chatterbox newsletter, her online editing and column work most recently with wrestlingfigs.com, collating upcoming shows and birthdays. A workload no one else but Georgie could accomplish.
At home, she was all about family, dedicated to husband George and their Siamese cat Rocky and causes like helping with Konnan's health a few years ago when she herself wasn't feeling well. For brief escapes from the biz, you all know how much she loved Atlantic City for a little slot machine gentle gambling and to see her favorites like Don Rickles perform.
Georgie was also the Elvis Presley historian with that amazing shrine in her home plus loved discussing the 60’s classic Ed Sullivan tapings.
Everyone feels the tremendous loss, a real void in our lives now. There was and will be only one Georgie. We’ll never see anyone who accomplished everything she did publicly and privately with her 24/7 hard work. She really was the eyes and ears of pro wrestling, far more than just it’s loving mother figure and best friend. She WAS and IS pro wrestling.
God bless Georgie.
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Pro wrestling loses its best friend
By Mike Mooneyham
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Professional wrestling lost its best friend with the passing last week
of Georgiann Makropoulos.
“Georgie,” as she was known by nearly everyone in the business, died Monday at the age of 68 of a massive heart attack.
Along with her, I’m afraid, went a part of pro wrestling’s heart.
If you’re a casual fan of pro wrestling, chances are you may have never heard of Georgiann Makropoulos. She wasn’t a wrestler, a valet or an on-air personality. What she was, quite simply, was a delightful lady who spent more than half a century around the business — as a fan, a friend and a respected journalist.
Longtime Wrestling Chatterbox editor and iconic wrestling fan Georgiann Makropoulos died Monday at the age of 68.
Georgie had been a fixture at Madison Square Garden since the early ‘60s, and had the same ringside seats at the venue for more than 20 years until the arena ended its reserve seat practice. It was there she befriended many of the top wrestlers of that era, including the legendary Bruno Sammartino, with whom she remained close until her death.
I first crossed paths with then Georgiann Orsi nearly 45 years ago when I began writing for various wrestling publications. She was already established at that time, authoring her own fan club column in a national magazine, as well as serving as fan club president for stars such as Bruno, Buddy Rogers, Cowboy Bill Watts, Bob Orton Sr. and Bill Dromo.
Georgie was there long before the Net and the newsletters. While other wrestling writers and sheet editors went the way of the digital age years ago, Georgie continued to print and send out via snail mail her popular Wrestling Chatterbox newsletter every month, like clockwork.
The Chatterbox, which she started 22 years ago, was a fan-friendly, information-packed periodical in which members were more like family than subscribers, and whose pages contained random tidbits about the business in addition to a fan forum and monthly listing of wrestlers’ birthdays and personal appearances.
Georgie was able to make the transition to the Web, and wrote columns for prominent wrestling sites in addition to keeping the most accurate and comprehensive list of wrestling autograph and memorabilia events. In recent years she had dedicated a site of her own, wrestlingfigs.com, to the wrestling figurine business.
Her reach in the wrestling industry, though, extended well beyond the Internet and the pages of her monthly publication. She was a driving force for a number of independent wrestlers to get tryouts with major promotions, and even was involved in setting up contract negotiations. She literally touched fans in every corner of the globe.
She was a link bridging the generations from Bruno to Hogan to Austin to Cena, a common bond between eras, and although she had become disenchanted with the direction the industry had taken over the years, she nonetheless remained one of wrestling’s biggest boosters and always strove to make the profession a better place. Her admiration and love for “the boys” never waned.
Professional wrestling was a labor of love for Georgie, and those in the business loved her for it. No one ever had a bad word when talking about her. That’s a rarity in this profession, but it was true with Georgie.
Georgie, who had successfully battled cancer in 2004, served as a caring, motherly influence to many of the younger stars in the business, always willing to give advice, promote appearances and help them in their careers. She regularly undertook causes for wrestlers, and spearheaded a drive to raise money for Konnan’s hip replacement surgery and kidney transplant in 2007.
As expected there has been a tremendous outpouring of support and love for Georgie since news of her passing broke. That’s only natural, as she never failed to bid a fond farewell whenever the final bell tolled for a member of her extended wrestling family.
More than a generation of wrestlers, fans, promoters and pundits were part of that extended family. Georgie was a house mom, a den mother, to a legion of wrestling folk over the years.
“I don’t know what I’ll do with out you Momma G ... you were my support, my ear, my momma. I love you,” Tammy “Sunny” Sytch wrote on her friend’s Facebook page.
“Thank you for being an awesome friend. It breaks my heart to know you’re not a phone call away anymore. I’m going to miss those calls. You did so much good in this world. I love you,” wrote Marc Mero.
I knew Georgie since I was a fan —- back in my teen years. She was the first Lady of Wrestling bar none,” posted longtime wrestling magazine editor Bill Apter. “She had a warm and wonderful heart and glowed with enthusiasm for this business no matter what phases it had gone through. I cannot believe she’s gone.
“The last time I talked to her was a few months ago. I called on her cell phone to discuss something but she couldn’t stay on the phone. She was busy cashing in her winnings at the Atlantic City casinos she loved so much! ‘Hi baby,’ she said. ‘I just hit it big on the slots again — talk to you later!’ I spoke to her a few days after that but I never thought it would be the last time. What a sad day for all of us.”
Georgie was well connected, to say the least, in the wrestling business. Her amazing circle of friends ran the gamut from top stars to newsletter editors, to those long retired and those new to the industry. Her sparkling personality and infectious spirit endeared her to all.
But she also could be delightfully saucy and use her tough-as-nails New York demeanor to tell it like it was. She had, after all, been around the business longer than most, and couldn’t be worked by the most seasoned practitioners in this smoke-and-mirrors profession.
What I’ll remember most about Georgie is how passionately she loved this business and the people in it. She was the quintessential fan. A link to the past that sadly is becoming all too rare in a world that moves steadily along.
If there ever was a “friend to the business,” it was Georgiann Makropoulos.
She truly was pro wrestling’s angel, and now she can be heaven’s.
And with the best seat in the house.
