Dr. Mike Lano remembers his friend “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, who lost his long battle with cancer December29, at age 49.  We here at PWDaily send our prayers and sympathies to the family and friends of Steve Williams.  Watch for an upcoming history of Steve Williams from Dr. Mike Lano.

“Dr. Life” Steve Williams
May 14, 1960 – December 29, 2009

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Ted DiBiase, Jim Duggan & Dr. Death Steve Williams - photo by Dr. Mike Lano

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Losing “Sunshine,” a Great Friend And a Fellow Doc
From Mike Lano, DDS

We just couldn’t finish 2009 (the year of deaths) without losing another, and one who was most precious to us.

Just a few lost this year were Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Walter Cronkite, Patrick Swayze, Soupy Sales, Ed McMahon and from our world: John Tolos, Eck Fatu and so many more.  Even though we knew Doc’s passing could come at any time, I don’t think anyone was ready for this awful news.  What an incredible athlete, fighter and friend to everyone was Steve.  It seems cruel that those who championed fighting cancer like Steve were all taken from us before the Oughts (00’s) had finally ended.

Although he looked extremely tired in recent shots from a NorthEast fanfest with his famous beard gone, most likely from chemo and radiation, he still had the infamous mischievous smile on his face.  He had emailed me that he enjoyed seeing Wayne Ferris, Bill Dundee and others whose company he enjoyed.  “Always have fun at these things.  I love mingling with the boys,” he wrote.

As much as I missed the weekly Saturday calls from the incredible Buddy Rogers when he passed a decade and a half ago, and the daily Japan emails from Doc’s contemporary in Gary Albright;  I’ll miss the near-daily emails and calls from Doc even more.  Anyone who knows him, knows how self-deprecating he always was.  “No f’ing cancer kazoo for me ever.  Even though it’s a pain in the ass, using my thumb and finger to help me speak works best right now.”  He was touched that Dawn Marie and her friends were trying to help him.  Touched that Jim Ross forgave him; he, in his own words, “cherished my friendship with Jim.”  He even said at the time how touched he was that that other Steve Williams went to all the trouble to come up with, and forever use, another name (Austin) out of respect to Doc.  Touched at the ministering to him by Bill Watts and Ernie Ladd (Doc idolized both).  “The Cowboy and Cat were like second fathers to me.  Baba was like that in many ways too.  Dick Beyer too, who always had thoughtful advice for me over there.”

Now he’s over there, in a somewhat different there.  That would be Heaven because Steve Williams certainly deserves to be there permanently after his lengthy battle with cancer.  He always was upbeat in person, on the phone, and in his emails. He never refused doing my radio show no matter how he felt, or what he was doing.  He was the lone positive one out of so many at that Cow Palace fanfest mess 3 years ago, when he did all he could to help us nail the fly-by-night husband and wife promoters with a wink and a smile.  “Those fuckers will get what’s coming to them from God” he told me.  “Karma’s going to be a real bitch for them.  But hey, I still had a great time here seeing a lot of friends I haven’t seen in ages.  You gotta look at the bright side in every bad situation.”  He was that rare entity in wrestling, pointing out the positives even when cheated on his owed pay, and even with his return flight cashed in by said promoters, or during his “not so fun time in WWF,” as he called it.  I’ll have to ask Jim Ross, but I don’t think I ever heard Doc complain.  And we ribbed him like a brother about his email style: always in caps, always with misspellings.  “Steve, how can you call yourself a doctor and write like that?” we’d tease.

He was the last, undefeated UWF World Champion for both the prestigious Bill Watts territory as well as for crazed promoter Herb Abrams.  “Hey, at least I got to meet one of my idols in Bruno due to Herb.  And have a little meeting of the minds with Billy Jack Haynes!”  And if anyone should be called “Sunshine” by William/Steven Regal, it’s got to be Doc.  He was “Sunshine” personified.

When cancer first rabbit-punched him (”it’s like a coward, always attacking me from behind”) he began calling himself “Dr. Life” to us.  “I’m going to beat this son of a gun. You watch and see.”

Wrestling had had its share of Dr. Death’s in the past, and even in my own Los Angeles territory in 1973 (veteran Don Arnold under the hood using that name).  But Steve’s had come from his collegiate football days and seemed like a great fit for wrestling.  Just like “Sunshine.”

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More From Dr Mike:

Had George Steele on my radio show 12/30 which of course became a two hour Steve Williams Tribute. George/Jim said “I had an immediate and special kinship with Steve as a WWF agent during the time Steve was there.  We bonded right away because of our college football background and I knew all about his Oklahoma University and boomer sooner!  He was a magnificent football player and of course a legend as a wrestler in Japan and here as well.  We made great friends and stayed in touch, as he did a lot of AIM (Athletes Int’l Ministeries) and religious work too when he found God as I did.  A very big heart and it’s a great loss for the industry.  What a trooper.”

– Dr. Mike Lano