Broken Harts: The Life and Death of Owen Hart (Paperback)

On May 23, 1999 in the midst of a World Wrestling Federation stunt, wrestler Owen Hart plummeted eight stories from the top of Kansas City's Kemper Arena to his death on the hard canvas of the wrestling ring. The WWF riggers secured Owen for his 78-foot descent using a $68 nautical clip designed for sailboats, not humans. As designed, it quickly released when he let go of the catwalk, sending his 225 lb frame into the turnbuckle below. His death, witnessed by 16,000 live audience members and millions more on TV, led to a brutal seventeen-month legal battle of finger pointing for responsibility.A reluctant star, Owen was an integral figure in wrestling's most famous dynasty and was recognized by many as one of the best technical wrestlers of his time. But all that came to an abrupt end on that day in May, a day that Martha Hart calls the worst of her life.In this book, Martha, Owen's wife, speaks poignantly about her days by Owen's side, the life that they created for their two children, and the tremendous loss that she's confronted with every day. From their days as high school sweethearts to Owen's performances in sold-out stadiums, she illuminates the tragic story of this modern gladiator and his horrific demise brought on by the neglect of the professional wrestling world.