Professional wrestler James Harris, also known as Kamala, has reportedly been hospitalized and is on life support in Oxford, Mississippi, according to Ryan Satin of ProWrestlingSheet.com.
The 67-year-old Harris has faced a number of health issues in the past few years, including the amputation of both of his legs due to complications with diabetes and high blood pressure. He was reportedly rushed to the emergency room early Sunday morning for surgery, though no reason has been given as to why.
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Harris’ stepdaughter Juanita James posted a status regarding Harris to Facebook.
Harris began his professional wrestling career in 1978. After several years wrestling in the United Kingdom, Harris returned to the United States and created the Kamala character with help from Jerry Lawler and Jerry Jarrett. Billed as a “wild savage” from Uganda, Harris worked for Mid-South Wrestling and World Class Championship Wrestling before signing with World Wrestling Federation in 1984.
The Mississippi native had multiple runs with Vince McMahon’s promotion stretching from 1984 to 2006, though his longest tenure was his original nine-year run with the company as Kamala. Harris had a number of memorable feuds with some of the promotion’s top babyfaces, including Hulk Hogan, Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Andre The Giant and was managed by some of the most memorable managers of the era – Freddie Blassie, JJ Dillon, Mr. Fuji, The Grand Wizard, Jimmy Hart, Percy Pringle, Reverend Slick and Harvey Wippleman.
Harris also had a brief run in World Championship Wrestling in 1995, where he was a member of Kevin Sullivan’s Dungeon of Doom as the group battled against Hulk Hogan. He made a number or sporadic appearances on WWE television in the early and mid-2000s, most recently on an episode of Monday Night Raw in 2006 where he lost a match to Umaga. He also appeared in several independent promotions, including Ring of Honor and Impact Wrestling (then TNA) before being forced to retire in 2011 after his first leg amputation.
In 2014 he released an autobiography titled Kamala Speaks, where he tells tales from his days on the road as a wrestler along with his life story.
