Owen Hart's fall, which happened in May 1999, caused a ruptured aorta

NEED TO KNOW

• Owen Hart died at age 34 on May 23, 1999, from a fall during a wrestling event
• The accident happened in front of a live audience, who weren’t sure whether it was real
• Hart’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against World Wrestling Federation

Owen Hart fell from more than seven stories during a wrestling stunt accident in May 1999.

The professional athlete grew up in a family of wrestlers as the son of Calgary’s Stampede Wrestling promoter Stu Hart. The youngest of 12 children — all of whom entered the world of wrestling in one way or another — Hart trained in his father’s legendary “dungeon” at their family home.

After Hart joined the World Wrestling Federation (now known as World Wrestling Entertainment) in March 1991, he became one of the industry’s most well-known personalities, winning titles including the WWF Intercontinental Champion and was a five-time World Heavyweight Champion.

Sadly, eight years later, Hart died in an incident in the middle of a televised WWF event. While suspended from the ceiling, Hart plunged to his death. The incident is considered one of wrestling’s most tragic accidents and today, Hart continues to be remembered as a beloved family man and talented wrestler.

Due to controversy surrounding his death, for which his family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against WWF, footage of Hart’s matches have not been released to the public — and some believe that Hart’s life has been overshadowed by his death.

“Owen was proud of his matches. He would want them to be seen. He would want to be remembered, and not just for falling from a ceiling,” Hart’s brother Bret Hart told The Calgary Herald in May 2024. “And it seems to me that’s all he’s remembered for now.”

Here’s everything to know about Owen Hart’s death and the legacy the late wrestler left behind.

How did Owen Hart die?

Hart died after falling more than seven stories while trying to do a stunt for a WWF event.

The incident happened as Hart was playing his wrestling persona, the Blue Blazer, during a pay-per-view match. For his grand entrance, Hart was scheduled to descend on a cable from a catwalk into the ring. He had performed the stunt before, according to Sports Illustrated, but for this particular event, he was outfitted with a quick-release harness — which accidentally released early, causing Hart to drop 78-feet into the ring.

Hart landed on his back inside the ring, a fall that severed his aorta and filled his lungs with blood. During the live broadcast, announcer Jim Ross told arena spectators and the audience at home that “something went terribly wrong,” adding that the accident was “not part of the entertainment here tonight. This is as real as can be here,” per Sports Illustrated.

Paramedics rushed to Hart’s side, attempting to care for him for about 20 minutes in front of thousands of the arena’s spectators before removing him from the ring on a gurney — though Hart reportedly had died within minutes of the accident.

Thousands of fans in attendance at the arena were stunned into silence by the fall, and many thought it was part of the show. “We thought they were just playing with us,” one told the Associated Press (via The New York Times) at the time. “We were really shocked when we found out that it was no joke."

When did Owen Hart die?

Hart died on May 23, 1999.

Although a live audience witnessed the accident, Hart's fall was not aired on TV. In the moments leading up to the stunt, the broadcast was showing a video package.

Where did Owen Hart die?

Hart died at the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, during a pay-per-view WWF event titled “Over the Edge.”

In the aftermath of his fall, the WWF event continued on as scheduled — a controversial decision that Hart’s brother, Bret, told The New York Times was “cold-blooded.”

Fans leaving the arena also told reporters at the time that it was “disgusting” and “messed up” to finish the show, per Sports Illustrated.

How old was Owen Hart when he died?

Hart was 34 years old at the time of his death.

What controversy surrounded Owen Hart’s death?

Hart’s death was surrounded by controversy, with his family placing responsibility on WWF and its handling of the accident.

Hart’s family — including his wife, children and parents — filed a wrongful death lawsuit against WWF and Kansas City, which owned the Kemper Arena where Hart fell to his death, per the Chicago Tribune.  In October 2000, WWF settled the suit and reportedly agreed to pay the Hart family $18 million, per ABC News.

WWF’s handling of Owen’s death — including the decision to have him perform the stunt gone awry that killed him, and the decision to air the remainder of the pay-per-view event after the accident — has been repeatedly rebuked by Hart’s wife, Dr. Martha Hart, and his brother, Bret.

In addition to Bret calling the handling of Hart’s death “cold-blooded,” he later told The Calgary Herald that the stunt Hart was set to perform “stupid and unnecessary.”

For her part, Martha has worked to protect Hart’s legacy, specifically by preventing the wrestling organization from further benefiting financially from Hart and his career, according to Sports Illustrated.

Martha has reportedly stunted its efforts to pay tribute to Hart by preventing the release of footage of his matches, and has prevented Hart’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Hart’s brother Bret had pushed back on the decision not to induct Hart into the Hall of Fame — noting that Hart’s legacy has been overshadowed by his accident. “Instead, Owen’s career is sealed in a vault somewhere so that no one ever gets to see his matches again,” Bret told The Calgary Herald. “I feel like this is the wrong way to go.”

What legacy did Owen Hart leave behind?

Following his untimely death, Hart has continued to be remembered for his wrestling skills, but also as a beloved husband, father, friend and colleague.

Hart’s funeral services were held a few days after his death on May 31, 1999, at a chapel in Calgary with his family, friends and fans in attendance.

After Hart’s family reached a settlement with WWF in Hart’s wrongful death lawsuit, Hart’s wife Martha (who is a pediatric psychologist and sociologist) used the payout to start a local charity, the Owen Hart Foundation.

“I believed that if I could help others in Owen’s name, this would bring meaning to his death. This meant he did not die in vain,” Martha told The Calgary Herald.

The Owen Hart Foundation provides low-income families with homeownership assistance and scholarships, but has also provided assistance during COVID-19, established a children’s hospital fund and hosted fundraising events with celebrity guests, including Jerry Seinfeld, Sarah McLachlan and Seth Meyers.

The foundation has also partnered with All Elite Wrestling to put on the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament and Owen Hart Cup — a men’s and women’s wrestling tournament.

In addition, Martha published a book about Hart’s life and legacy, Broken Harts: The Life and Death of Owen Hart, in 2004.

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