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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, January 30, 1993                   TAG: 9301300283
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: PARIS                                LENGTH: Short

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ANDRE THE GIANT DIES

Professional wrestling legend Andre Rene Roussimoff, known to fans as "Andre the Giant," has died of an apparent heart attack.

The 7-foot-4, 520-pound wrestler went to France two weeks ago to attend his father's funeral on the outskirts of Paris. He visited his family on Wednesday, then returned to his hotel room where he died, said longtime friend Frenchie Bernard.

"He was lying in his bed when they found him," Bernard said. "He just went to sleep and never woke up."

The exact date of his death was not immediately known.

Roussimoff lived on a 200-acre property in Ellerbe, N.C. His body was to be cremated in France and the ashes brought back to North Carolina for a memorial service.

Roussimoff was born with acromegaly, a disorder marked by progressive enlargement of the head, face, hands, feet and chest, due to excessive secretion of growth hormones.

In addition to wrestling, Roussimoff appeared in the Ron Reiner-produced film "The Princess Bride" in 1989. Roussimoff played the gentle giant Fezzick in the critically acclaimed film.

"He would help everybody before himself," said Bernard, who managed Roussimoff's home and ranch.

"He was always doing charity and sending flowers to people for any occasion. People used to stare at him all the time but he got over it fast and just lived his life."

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