Andre the Giant's history and Recent news

The Most beloved Giant of all times was Andre the Giant.The giant man from the French Alpes in Granoble France. Standing at 7'4 & 500 lbs he was an awsome site in an era when giant men were a rare site to see.People around the world gladly paid the ticket fee to see this man this attraction.Andre is know as being the highest paid wrestler of his era.Demanding to be paid top dollar for his apperance and for good reason.He always drew a packed house.His apperance in Wrestlemaina3 still holds the indoor attendance record of 93,000 people.They would always come to see the big man even in his last days..But more impressive than the Giants height and weight was the size of his hands and feet.It is said you could pass a hard boiled egg or a silver dollar right threw his ring.His boots had to all be custom made by the Tony Lama company in texas.He also had a vintage 1800's pocket watch made into a wrist watch to fit his large wrist.

Andre started his wrestling career at a very young age & was known to move around the ring with an impressive speed for a man of his mass.But today most people remember his later years his slower years.In his younger days Andre loved to jump on opponents from the top ropes using his massive frame to win matches.With his humble start in france Andre would go on to become on of the most notable sports figures in the world.Andre's match agianst Hulk Hogan still holds the record for the largest indoor attendance of all time including all concerts and sporting events to date.His world wide wrestling fame would bring him a chance at an acting career as well.Andre loved to act and played many roles on t.v. and in the movies his favorite and most notable role was Fezik the friendly giant in the movie Princess Bride.The truth is Andre was not always a friendly giant not to the promoters the other wrestlers or the fans.Andre in his later years of life was in constant pain from his ever growing body that made for an angry giant.Andre was often asked by many young fans for autographs but Andre would just tell the fans to go.As his health got worse and walking became harder for him.Andre decided he would spend his later years playing cards with friends and raising longhorn steer at his ranch in N.C. His ranch was one of the only places in the world the giant could find peace.Andre made his last U.S. t.v. apperance seated in a chair on a WCW cable show.But not even the constant pain or not being able to stand for a long period of time could keep the giant from the sport he loved so much.Three months before his death he was in the ring and wrestled in a tag match in japan.This would be his very last recorded match.Andre was in his birthtown located in the French alpes for his fathers funeral when he was found dead in his hotel room.Andre the Giant's remains were cremated and spread around his N.C. ranch. By his request at the end of Andre's funeral service a few bottles of his favorite french wine were served and his very close friends Hulk Hogan,Randy Savage,Frenchy Bernard and others toasted to his life and had one last drink with their giant friend.Andre was the godfather to Luna Vachoun and after her sudden death her ashs joined Andres at his N.C. ranch. In a private service held by the estate of Andre.In 2010 Andre's estate will open a lawsuit agianst famed street artist Shepard Fairey for using the likeness of Andre in his art."Andre has a Posse" stickers made by the artist can be seen in every town in america and in many overseas countries stuck to the back of stop signs,light polls, park benchs,billboards and trains.Shepard stopped using the Andre the Giant name in 1994 after the threat of a lawsuit from WWF/WWE.He began to just use Andre's picture and the words Obey.Andre's estate has never seen a dime from the world wide sells that started in 1989.Sells are currently growing as the art is coming back into fad and Andre's estate wants a piece of the profit that is being made by Andre's famous face.Andre the giants image and character lives on today and can be heard and seen in everything from rap music to Saturday Night Live Skits.Andre will always be a man of legend and mystic.