KANSAS CITY — Professional wrestler Owen Hart died on May 23, 1999, after falling 78 feet from a malfunctioning stunt harness during the World Wrestling Federation's Over the Edge pay-per-view at Kemper Arena in Kansas City. Hart, 34, was performing a grand entrance as his Blue Blazer persona, scheduled to descend on a cable from a catwalk into the ring, when the quick-release harness activated early.

Hart landed on his back inside the ring, a fall that severed his aorta and filled his lungs with blood. Paramedics attempted to care for him for about 20 minutes in front of thousands of spectators before removing him from the ring on a gurney. He died within minutes of the accident.

The broadcast did not air the fall. In the moments leading up to the stunt, the broadcast was showing a video package.

"Something went terribly wrong. This is not part of the entertainment here tonight. This is as real as can be here," wrestling announcer Jim Ross said.

Thousands of fans in attendance were stunned into silence and initially thought the fall was part of the show. One fan said, "We thought they were just playing with us. We were really shocked when we found out that it was no joke."

The pay-per-view event continued as scheduled after the fall. Hart's brother, wrestler Bret Hart, said the decision to continue was "Cold-blooded" and said the stunt Hart was set to perform was "Stupid and unnecessary."

Owen Hart was the youngest of 12 children of Calgary's Stampede Wrestling promoter Stu Hart, all of whom entered wrestling. He trained at a facility at his family home and joined the World Wrestling Federation in March 1991. During his career he won the WWF Intercontinental Championship and was a five-time World Heavyweight Champion.

Hart's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the World Wrestling Federation and Kansas City, which owned Kemper Arena. In October 2000, the wrestling organization settled the lawsuit and agreed to pay the family $18 million. Owen Hart's widow, Martha Hart, has prevented the release of footage of his matches and his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, working to prevent the wrestling organization from benefiting financially from his career.