Professional wrestling lost yet another of its longest lasting television announcers as Bill Kersten, who made the term "He-llooo wrestling fans" into part of the lexicon of the Central States, passed away yesterday.

He was believed to be in his early 90s.

Kersten was a fixture in Kansas City Wrestling from 1947 until the death of the regional office more than 40 yeas later. He started as a ticket taker, moved to being a ring announcer in 1956, and then became the lead television announcer.

In 2009, Kersten was honored by the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Hall of Fame in Waterloo, Iowa for his contributions to wrestling.

Kersten, Bob Geigel, Tom Andrews, and Roger Kirby were part of the Kansas City contingent that attended Cauliflower Alley banquets until a few years ago.

After wrestling, Kersten worked as a ticket taker at a movie theater in Liberty, Missouri. He noted that even long after he had been off area television, every day at the theater people would see him and shout, "Hell-loo wrestling fans."