From Dave White

It's almost impossible to comprehend that Bill has died.

My friendship with him goes back almost 20 years. He was one of those people who was always bursting with life.

I've never known anyone else who offered more support, encouragement and training to as many wrestlers and to people who wanted to be wrestlers.

I worked for an indy promotion and for the NWA in Atlanta in the late 70's and early 80's.

After I got out of the business he was the only knowledgeable person with whom I could discuss the days of old school wrestling. Our conversations were like a lifeline for me when I was working at jobs that paid more a lot more than wrestling but which were never anywhere near as interesting or as fun.

I will always be grateful for his patience when I kept bugging him for stories about how he got into pro wrestling in Britain and his early days in the business.

Bill had a huge impact on the wrestling world, but he was also a successful businessman, a lover of opera, a protector of animals, a connoisseur of fine silversmith work, a philanthropist who provided major support for medical and AIDS charities and much more.

He loved America because of all the opportunities it provided for someone with his talent and drive. But he was born a Welshman. St. David is the patron saint of Wales and St. David's feast day is March 1. I always emailed Bill on March 1 to wish him a happy St. David's day and I would always get one of his delightful, news-filled, wrestling-drenched emails in return.

But I hadn't heard back from him this year and now I know why.

I am grateful to Gary at Vangar for informing us of Bill's passing and providing a link to this blog where we can share our memories of him.