Star of Super Mario Bros. Super Show dies at 76

When you think of Mario, a few men might pop into your head. Shigeru Miyamoto, his creator, Charles Martinet, his voice, and (if you were a kid growing up in the early 1990’s) Captain Lou Albano, the actor who played Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show. Unfortunately, Albano passed away Wednesday, Oct. 14 at the age of 76 due to natural causes.

Albano played a live action version of Mario during segments of the show as well as provided the voice for the mustachioed plumber during the animated portions. The show included many references to the first two Super Mario Bros. games including characters, settings, and music. With only a brief run of new episodes, the program was shown in reruns until 1994.

Albano was also known for many other achievements throughout his career. Albano had an extensive wrestling career that spanned from 1953 as a wrestler until 1986 when the bearded brawler led 15 different tag teams to the championship belt as a manager. Albano made a brief return to the WWE in 1994 to manage one more championship duo and was inducted into the WWE hall of fame in 1996.

Even though this may be a sad time for people that grew up with the show, keep your head up high, swing your arms from side to side, and do the Mario one last time for Captain Lou.