On August 8, 2008, wrestling journalist Georgiann Makropoulos reported that Walter "Killer" Kowalski had suffered a major heart attack and that doctors did not expect him to make it through the night. On August 9, 2008, wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer reported that he had been taken off life support and was unresponsive. Kowalski passed away earlier this evening.

Walter "Killer" Kowalski (1926 - 2008)

Wrestlezone would like to offer Kowalski's family and friends our most sincere condolences.

Mac suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs, but had said the condition went into remission in 2005.

On August 1, 2008, Mac was hospitalized with what his publicist claimed was pneumonia. The next day, responding to rumors that the actor was in "very, very critical condition," his publicist said that he was responding well to treatment, and should be released soon.[6] On August 9, his publicist announced that Mac had died from complications of pneumonia unrelated to sarcoidosis.