Steve "Dr. Death" Williams

The wrestler Steve "Dr. Death" Williams died of throat cancer on Dec. 30, 2009. He was 49.
Primarily through his affiliation with Mid-South Wrestling, Williams was a familiar figure to Louisiana folks who followed the sport in the 1980s.

In 2007, I had the chance to meet Williams on a promotional stop in West Monroe. He was a fun interview and a nice guy -- despite his bruiser reputation.

Throat cancer left his voice raspy but strong. When he talked wrestling days of old, his eyes twinkled.

“Ask any well-named wrester about Dr. Death,” said Williams, who lived in the Shreveport area for about 25 years. “I was the toughest man in the business. I don’t think anybody could match up.”

During its heyday, Mid-South Wrestling drew legions of local fans to the Monroe Civic Center to see stars like Williams, Ernie Ladd and Ted DiBiase.

“People will never forget those guys,” Williams said. “We’re the ones who paved the way for these kids today. We went everywhere in our cars, slept in our cars and ate cans of tuna fish. We had to scrape.”

Diagnosed with cancer three years before our meeting, Williams at that time believed he was winning the greatest fight of his life.

“I didn’t work for two years,” Williams said. “Matter of fact, I died three times because of the situation. God spared my life.”

Williams chronicled his life and battle with cancer in a book – “How Dr. Death became Dr. Life.” He said he used his celebrity to share his testimony at churches and talk to cancer patients.

“I am so blessed,” Williams said. “I fought a tough opponent. That cancer was a tough situation.”

Then 47, Williams was still training wrestlers and helping develop the sport that made him an international figure. On the day of his appearance at an independent wrestling event, Williams went into the ring and thrashed an upstart -- to the delight of the small crowd.

“I think a lot of people are just happy to see that I’m alive,” Williams said. “I wanted to finish off 25 years with wrestling and retire. This is my 25th year. A lot of people have been asking me to come back out and entertain. Right now, I’m enjoying life.”

Williams, whose weight dropped from 290 to 206, had returned to the gym daily for two hours. The former Oklahma football and college wrestling star was closer to his playing weight of 275 when we visited.

“I feel great,” said Williams. “I tell people that I used to do it my way like old blue eyes – Frank Sinatra. I did it my way so many years. I was a Christian, but I kept backsliding. When I had cancer, I gave my life over to Christ.”