1234 Posted April 11, 2011 Posted April 11, 2011 R.I.P Larry Sweeney. Former wrestling manager Larry Sweeney (real name Alex Whybrow) has died at the age of 29, according to multiple friends and wrestling colleagues. Specific details on Sweeney's death are unknown at this time. Sweeney was in and out of the wrestling business after parting ways with ROH in 2009. Sweeney suffered from bipolar disorder and had a break down in 2009, which he described as "the absolute worst event" of his life at the time. Sweeney went through a long recovery process in 2010 and was trying to find work outside of pro wrestling. He worked for a handful of independent promotions in 2010, but did not resurface on a national level. Wrestler/trainer Chris Hero posted the following note on Twitter Monday afternoon: "We lost a dedicated friend and an overwhelmingly talented performer this morning. Alex Whybrow aka "Sweet & Sour" Larry Sweeney has passed. We spent a few yrs together on the road & Alex was gifted beyond measure. He could enthrall you with colorful stories from his personal life or he could captivate thousands with his undeniable charisma. "I loved him & my heart is with his family, friends & his countless fans. First he was my student & he transcended that almost immediately. I will forever cherish our in depth conversations & time spent together Love you man. Miss you. Rest in Peace." http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/Other_News_4/article_49214.shtml
Big Roguey Posted April 11, 2011 Posted April 11, 2011 Wow. Just wow. I didn't expect this. Sweeney was such an awesome character. R.I.P. brother. Heaven just got a great manager. Apparently the Observer is repoting it as suicide
The Final Countdown Posted April 11, 2011 Posted April 11, 2011 To elaborate on this, the stuff I've read indicated that he committed suicide. Given his problems with drugs and depression, this doesn't come as a huge shock to me, but it's still really sad. Can't say I saw much of his actual wrestling career, but he was a fantastic personality in ROH.
TheOmniWarrior Posted April 11, 2011 Posted April 11, 2011 just read about it from Austin Aries tweet. R.I.P.
ScottMulhern Posted April 11, 2011 Posted April 11, 2011 Wow. I've just read about this on 411mania. I'm absolutely gutted. I always hoped he'd be picked up by WWE or TNA as a kind of modern day Bobby Heenan. He was a truly talented manager. He'll be missed. RIP.
b0shey Posted April 11, 2011 Posted April 11, 2011 So sad another wrestler leaves us to soon. RIP Larry Sweeney
tjb000 Posted April 11, 2011 Posted April 11, 2011 This is really sad news. I've always been a fan of his since he almost new in Chikara. Awesome throwback gimmick of the fabulous heels when he wrestled and progressed into a great manager and personality in ROH. I found out when I saw him trending worldwide on Twitter and was quite surprised. Then I remembered why people trend on Twitter all the time... It's usually because they had died. Sure enough, I looked into it and read through my timeline and was deeply saddened. RIP "Sweet 'n' Sour" Larry Sweeney
LoNdOn Posted April 11, 2011 Posted April 11, 2011 Man, didn't see this one coming at all. It's a real shame because for my money he was the best manager of recent years. R.I.P Sweeney
LoNdOn Posted April 11, 2011 Posted April 11, 2011 Whats ROH? I'm not sure if this is a joke or not but if it is a serious question I will answer. ROH is Ring Of Honor, the biggest indy promotion.
Remianen Posted April 11, 2011 Posted April 11, 2011 Whats ROH? Click here. Sweeney was awesome! Sucks that the talented ones go early.
Russo Posted April 11, 2011 Posted April 11, 2011 I'm not sure if this is a joke or not but if it is a serious question I will answer. ROH is Ring Of Honor, the biggest indy promotion. No I dont watch anything other than TNA and WWE this is my first forum I have join so I'm not your average "Internet fan"
LoNdOn Posted April 11, 2011 Posted April 11, 2011 No I dont watch anything other than TNA and WWE this is my first fourm I have join so I'm not your average "Internet fan" I gave you the benefit of the doubt as I don't judge until given reason.
The Stallion Posted April 11, 2011 Posted April 11, 2011 I could not believe this when I read it. I saw him once at a small indy event in CT and had a blast heckling him. We got into it big time, going back and forth yelling at each other. After the show I went up to him and shook his hand. He called me the loudest fan in the crowd and I got a picture with him. He was a professional and a great entertainer. After that I was a member of Sweet N' Sour Inc forever. Ive been a fan of his and I was always hoping that he would get picked up by a major promotion so his talents could be seen nation-wide. If I can find it I will post the picture I have of myself and Larry and then I may try to upload the video of that day at the indy event I have of him and me getting into it ringside. RIP Larry, you will be missed in the wrestling world and in the world in general. http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g99/thestallion1025/220181_10150218537611011_585556010_8813475_5276274_o.jpg
Huntman Posted April 11, 2011 Posted April 11, 2011 Just awful, awful. Tragic for such a personality. I wasn't unaware of his depression or drug problems, but that is just a shame. Rest in Peace Larry.
dvdWarrior Posted April 11, 2011 Posted April 11, 2011 Very sorry to hear about this. I never saw much of him elsewhere, but he was always entertaining in ROH. RIP.
Rone Rivendale Posted April 11, 2011 Posted April 11, 2011 It truly is a sad day. Sweeney was great when he was wrestling in CHIKARA. I have alot of fond memories of him strutting and dancing around the ring in the middle of matches. Not everyone could get away with that, but he was just so charismatic. You couldn't help but love it.
critical-23 Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 RIP I'll never forget the Dark Ciberknetico event where he came out as the masked Vocoder (sp?) and then ripped the mask off--the crowd went BESERK~! I have been over in Iraq for three months and my ears were slightly ring from all the gunfire--that one night in PA had my ears BANGING! That just showed how much of an entertainer Sweeney was.
BurningHamster Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 Man this just freaking sucks. I loved Larry Sweeney. Larry Sweeney was really one of a kind. One of the most charismatic, entertaining and hilarious guys of his era. Just flat out a great promo and one of those really creative, talented guys who could not help but he entertaining. However, unlike most wrestling deaths in recent years with the whole "it's the pain pills, it's the lifestyle, it's the steroids" rant going on I feel this is more indicitive of a problem that goes way beyond just the wrestling world. I mean, Sweeney was 29 and not a big bumper and never had an insane road schedule wrestling every night. A couple of years ago I heard an interview with him on some wrestling show when his issues became pretty apparent. He made little sense, talked about being homeless for a time, claimed to be a reincarnation of John Lennon, mentioned something he had done in his high school days which I think still haunted him and talked a lot of that Indian spiritual BS. It was really obvious the guy needed help, the interview probably should have been cut short too as it was just pretty disturbing listening to this. I came away with the impression that it wasn't just bipolar but possibly also schizophrenia. Either way, I'm no psychiatrist, but the dude was not well and probably should have been put in a closed ward for a month or two whether he wanted to go or not. On top of that, he was doing drugs which is about the worst thing a person who is already crazy can do. It just flat out sucks. It's sad he's gone, it's sad for his family, friends and fans. It's sad mental health issues are so freaking hard to deal with both for those suffering and those who are trying to help those who are suffering and it's sad things like this are way more common out in the community than you'd think.
joehelmer Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 RIP Larry It's always sad to see people die at such a young age.
danny magic Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 RIP Larry. ROH was the only indy promotion i watched so I was aware he was a wrestler but only really knew him as a manager, and what a talented manager he was! I always thought he had WWE written all over him as he was so charismatic and had that x-factor. He was exactly what the WWE is missing right now. Such as sad day for the wrestling world.
Gabbo Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 Like others I always hoped he would have made the jump to the WWE, but even mental instability aside the WWE just don't want managers anymore. Vinnie Mac wants the wrestlers to have the heat as they are far more marketable than the managers. RIP.
ThriceP86 Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 ...However, unlike most wrestling deaths in recent years with the whole "it's the pain pills, it's the lifestyle, it's the steroids" rant going on I feel this is more indicative of a problem that goes way beyond just the wrestling world. I mean, Sweeney was 29 and not a big bumper and never had an insane road schedule wrestling every night. A couple of years ago I heard an interview with him on some wrestling show when his issues became pretty apparent. He made little sense, talked about being homeless for a time, claimed to be a reincarnation of John Lennon, mentioned something he had done in his high school days which I think still haunted him and talked a lot of that Indian spiritual BS. It was really obvious the guy needed help, the interview probably should have been cut short too as it was just pretty disturbing listening to this. I came away with the impression that it wasn't just bipolar but possibly also schizophrenia. Either way, I'm no psychiatrist, but the dude was not well and probably should have been put in a closed ward for a month or two whether he wanted to go or not. On top of that, he was doing drugs which is about the worst thing a person who is already crazy can do... lol, nobody goes in wards anymore, at least not around the Twin Cities, but its clear he needed help. There is a diagnosis called schizoeffective disorder or something like that. It mixes bipolar and schizophrenic symptoms and I think it's been helping doctors figure out the medication and therapy needed for people with this disorder. I feel sad for Sweeney but it sounds like he was either only doing one or the other at the time of his death (between medication or therapy) Sadly, many deaths related to these disorders end in suicide. I hope that's not true for Sweeney.
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