Late WWE legend The Iron Sheik who died at 81 was a father but faced tragedy in his family even before his death. Let’s meet his wife and kids.
WWE legend Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri — famously known as The Iron Sheik — died on June 7, 2023, at 81 years old.
“Today, we gather with heavy hearts to bid farewell to a true legend, a force of nature, and an iconic figure who left an incredible mark on the world of professional wrestling,” read a statement posted to Twitter. The Iron Sheik rose to fame as one of WWE’s most notorious trash talkers, facing off in legendary matches against foes like Hulk Hogan and Bob Backlund.
Because of The Iron Sheik’s undeniable impact on wrestling, it’s easy to understand why some fans may be wondering who he was married to and how many children he fathered. Read on for everything about his personal life.
Who was The Iron Sheik’s wife and did he have children?
Khosrow was born on September 9, 1942, in Damghan, Iran, and grew up in a working-class family which had little money and no running water. Although his passport read March 15, he celebrated his birthday on September 9 due to his family alternating between the Gregorian calendar and the Solar Hijri calendar. In his youth, he idolized Iranian Olympic Gold-Medalist wrestler Gholamreza Takhti, and he subsequently made a name for himself as an amateur wrestler; he also worked as a bodyguard for Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and his family for several years.
Khosrow competed for a spot on Iran’s Greco-Roman wrestling team for the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. He then moved to the United States and became the assistant coach of two U.S. Olympic squads in the 1970s. In 1971, he was the Amateur Athletic Union Greco-Roman wrestling champion and gold medalist at 180.5 pounds (81.9 kg); he later became assistant coach to the USA team for the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.
Source: NGNews247
So, how was Iron Sheik‘s wife? Vaziri who was a Shia Muslim and a soldier in the Imperial Iranian Army wife is a woman named Caryl Peterson Vaziri, an American by nationality.
The couple exchanged their wedding vows on March 21, 1976, and lived a long married life until Sheikh’s demise. She was later known as Caryl Vaziri.
The wedding ceremony had “Mean” Gene Okerlund as the best man, a name the Sheik often humorously referred to as “Gene Mean” in his broken English.
Source: Pro Wrestling Stories
How many children did Iron Sheik have?
Since over 40 years of marriage, Vaziri and Peterson have had three biological children. The names of his kids are Marissa Jeanne Vaziri, Nikki Vaziri, and Tanya Vaziri, however, two of their kids are currently alive as the family faced a tragedy prior to the WWE legend’s death.
Currently, Sheik left behind two living daughters, his wife was blessed with five grandchildren.
His eldest daughter Marissa Jeanne Vaziri died at the young age of 26 while dating Charles Reynolds; after her death, Charles had become a convicted felon and died in 2016 (allegations of release).