Paul Bearer's funeral was held March 9, 2013, at St. Vincent Catholic Church in Mobile, Alabama, four days after William Moody died of a heart attack.
The Paul Bearer funeral was held on Saturday, March 9, 2013, at St. Vincent Catholic Church in Mobile, Alabama, four days after William Moody died of a heart attack at age 58. He was buried beside his late wife, Dianna, at Serenity Memorial Gardens in Theodore, Alabama, just outside his hometown of Mobile.
Key Takeaways
Moody was one of the most famous managers in wrestling history. As Paul Bearer, the pale, urn-carrying manager of The Undertaker and Kane, he was a fixture of WWE television for two decades. Off camera, he really was a licensed funeral director and embalmer. You can read more athlete biographies on GrandPeoples.com.
Moody died on March 5, 2013, in Mobile, Alabama, from a heart attack. He was 58 years old.
Three days earlier, on March 2, he attended the Gulf Coast Wrestlers Reunion in Mobile. He used a wheelchair because he was weak, and he had trouble breathing and coughing during the event. It turned out to be his final public appearance.
He had dealt with weight-related health problems for years. He weighed about 525 pounds before gastric bypass surgery in 2003, which WWE paid for as part of his signing bonus. He lost about 240 pounds afterward and needed emergency gallbladder surgery in 2004.
The family held a wake on Friday, March 8, 2013, through Serenity Funeral Home in Mobile. The first hour, from 4 to 5 p.m., was for family only. From 5 to 8 p.m., the doors were open to everyone, including fans.
The funeral service followed at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 9, at St. Vincent Catholic Church in Mobile. His faith went back to his childhood, and his eulogy spoke about how it grew stronger in later years, especially after his wife’s death.
His niece, Donna, wrote and read the eulogy. She listed the many names he went by: Dad, Grandpaw, Uncle Bill, Percy Pringle and Paul Bearer. She also remembered his Air Force service, his work in funeral homes and on an ambulance crew, his love of country music and his friendship with George Jones. He cheered for Alabama and Auburn football and was proud of Mobile and its Mardi Gras.
His sons, Michael and Daniel, thanked fans for their support. They wrote that their father was now in paradise with their mother, Dianna, and Michael’s son, Troy, and they signed off with “Be Blessed,” the phrase he always used.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| March 2, 2013 | Final public appearance at the Gulf Coast Wrestlers Reunion in Mobile |
| March 5, 2013 | Dies of a heart attack in Mobile, age 58 |
| March 8, 2013 | Wake for family, then open to fans |
| March 9, 2013 | Funeral at St. Vincent Catholic Church, burial at Serenity Memorial Gardens |
| March 11, 2013 | WWE Raw airs a tribute |
| April 7, 2013 | The Undertaker dedicates his WrestleMania 29 win to him |
| 2014 | Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame |
Paul Bearer is buried at Serenity Memorial Gardens in Theodore, Alabama, next to his wife. He married Dianna McDole in December 1978. She died on January 31, 2009, from complications of breast cancer, about four years before him.
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WWE opened its March 11, 2013, episode of Raw with a tribute to Bearer, and The Undertaker paid his respects in the ring. In the weeks that followed, CM Punk built a storyline around Bearer’s famous urn heading into WrestleMania 29. The Undertaker beat Punk on April 7, 2013, took back the urn and dedicated the win to his longtime manager.
In 2014, Moody was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Kane gave the induction speech, and his sons Michael and Daniel accepted the honor for their father. Bearer appeared once more on November 22, 2020, as a hologram during The Undertaker’s farewell at Survivor Series.
William Alvin Moody was born on April 10, 1954, in Mobile, Alabama. His father worked for the railroad and moved the family to Bogalusa, Louisiana, when William was five. They came back to Mobile when he was 12, and he graduated from McGill Institute in 1972.
After high school he served four years in the U.S. Air Force, reaching the rank of sergeant at Keesler Air Force Base. He also worked part time for an ambulance service. In 1976 he became an apprentice funeral director and embalmer, and he later earned a mortuary science degree from San Antonio College.
He worked at Higgins Mortuary in Mobile and, on and off, at Coastal Funeral Home in Moss Point, Mississippi, until 2009. The Encyclopedia of Alabama notes that he never owned a funeral business himself.
Moody started wrestling in 1974 as Mr. X on small shows across the South. In 1979 he became a manager named Percival “Percy” Pringle III, and by the mid-1980s he was managing full time in Florida and in Texas for World Class Championship Wrestling. Early in their careers, he managed Rick Rude, Steve Austin and Mark Calaway, the man who became The Undertaker.
He signed with the WWF in December 1990 and debuted as Paul Bearer in February 1991, managing The Undertaker. His spooky voice, pale makeup and golden urn became famous. In late 1991 he led The Undertaker to the WWF Championship at Survivor Series.
At SummerSlam 1996 he turned on The Undertaker. In October 1997 he introduced Kane, and in 1998 the storyline revealed Kane as his son. That year he was named Manager of the Year by Pro Wrestling Illustrated. In WWE he managed:
He stepped back from TV in 2000 and worked backstage, then had later runs with WWE in 2004 and from 2010 to 2012. His last WWE appearance was in April 2012, and he kept working independent shows until shortly before his death.
Paul Bearer’s funeral took place on March 9, 2013, at St. Vincent Catholic Church in Mobile, Alabama, after William Moody died of a heart attack on March 5 at age 58. A wake the night before welcomed family and fans, his niece read the eulogy, and he was buried beside his wife at Serenity Memorial Gardens in Theodore. WWE honored him on Raw, at WrestleMania 29 and in the 2014 Hall of Fame. More biographies of famous people are available on GrandPeoples.com.
Paul Bearer’s funeral was held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 9, 2013, at St. Vincent Catholic Church in Mobile, Alabama. A wake took place the evening before, with one hour for family and three hours open to fans.
William Moody, known as Paul Bearer, died of a heart attack on March 5, 2013, in Mobile, Alabama. He was 58. He had been weak and had trouble breathing at a wrestling reunion three days earlier.
Paul Bearer is buried at Serenity Memorial Gardens in Theodore, Alabama, near Mobile. He rests beside his wife, Dianna, who died in January 2009 from complications of breast cancer. The couple married in 1978.
Yes. William Moody earned a mortuary science degree from San Antonio College and was a licensed funeral director and embalmer. He worked at funeral homes in Mobile, Alabama, and Moss Point, Mississippi, until 2009.
Yes. Paul Bearer was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014, the year after his death. Kane inducted him, and his sons, Michael and Daniel, accepted the honor on his behalf.
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