| Frank Andersson | |
|---|---|
 Frank Andersson at the Swedish Sports Awards inside the Stockholm Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden in January 2014 | |
| Birth name | Frank Öivind Stefan Andersson |
| Born | 9 May 1956 Trollhättan, Sweden[1] |
| Died | 9 September 2018 (aged 62) Stockholm, Sweden |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Frank Andersson |
| Billed height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) |
| Billed weight | 106 kg (234 lb; 16.7 st) |
| Trained by | Brad Rheingans[1] WCW Power Plant[1] |
| Debut | 3 May 1991[2] |
| Retired | 2014 |
Frank Öivind Stefan Andersson (9 May 1956 – 9 September 2018) was a Swedish amateur wrestler and entertainer. He started in amateur wrestling, winning several world championship gold medals as well as a bronze medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He later became a professional wrestler with mixed success. He was also a television personality appearing on several Swedish reality and game shows.
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Greco-Roman wrestling | ||
Representing  Sweden
| ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 |
1984 Los Angeles | Light heavyweight |
| World Championships | ||
 |
1977 Gothenburg | 90 kg |
|
1979 San Diego | 90 kg |
|
1982 Katowice | 90 kg |
Frank Andersson's amateur wrestling career included gold medals at the 1973 and 1975 Junior World Championships and as he got older he wrestled at a number of Greco-Roman wrestling World Championships over the years.[3] In 1977, 1979 and 1982 he won the gold medal in the 90 kg (200 lb; 14 st) division.[3] He also took the silver medal in 1978 and 1981. The pinnacle of his amateur wrestling career came in 1984 at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles where he won a bronze medal in the 90 kg weight division.[4] In addition to his in ring achievements, Andersson was awarded the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal in 1977.[5] He was inducted in the Amateur Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006.[6]
Andersson was trained for his professional career by Brad Rheingans, a former Olympian as well, and made his debut on 3 May 1991 for the American Wrestling Association, defeating Randy Thornton, who also debuted.[7] Within months, he went to Japan, wrestling for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) teaming with Rheingans.[8]
On April 8, 1993, he worked one night only for the WWE when he defeated Red Tyler in Paris, France at a European Tour show.
In 1994, he signed with World Championship Wrestling (WCW), based in Atlanta.[9] Andersson would win upset victories over Booker T., Stevie Ray and Alex Wright. He retired in 1995.[10]
Andersson made his comeback in 2014 for STHLM, a promotion based in Stockholm, Sweden. Teaming with Jim Duggan in a tag match. He won the STHLM title on 6 September when he defeated Ken Malmsteen in the main event.[11]
He was a participant on Let's Dance 2011, the Swedish version of Strictly Come Dancing / Dancing with the Stars, where he finished second.[12][13]
In his youth Andersson recorded the music single "Frank's Disco", the song contains music and Andersson being interviewed in the background.[14]
Andersson also appeared in the film Göta Kanal in 1981.[15] He participated as a celebrity contestant on Expedition Robinson V.I.P.[16] He also appeared on the seventh season of Mästarnas mästare; broadcast on SVT, he was the first to be eliminated.[17]
Andersson was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in 2010.[18]
In late August 2018, Andersson was admitted to hospital with heart problems.[19] On 6 September, Andersson went through surgery. A few days later, he developed complications, and on 9 September 2018, he died at the age of 62.[19][20][21][22]
