The Asylum offices are full of nostalgic, teary-eyed folks at the news that Hall of Fame wrestler Captain Lou Albano has died at the age of 76.

Albano started out in the 1960s, when wrestling was a cult sport mostly shown on cable access. He managed several championship tag-teams, including his own called The Sicilians, but it wasn't until he transformed himself into the most-hated figure in the sport -- a ruthless and love-to-hate-'em manager named "Captain Lou" -- that he, and wrestling in general, gained mainstream attention. Between the dramatic story lines he created and the rubber band he tied to the end of his goatee, the Captain had charisma and crossover appeal to spare.

Aside from his career with the WWE and the WWF, he was perhaps best known for playing Cyndi Lauper's papa in "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and as Mario on "The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!" That's how we always remember him and will continue to do so now that he's gone. Goodbye, Captain Lou, a man who -- to quote the title of his recent autobiography -- was "Often Imitated, Never Duplicated."

Captain Lou -- a Video Retrospective (Street Level)