Minnesota Fats, the boastful billiard wizard who could shoot pool with either hand, stuffed $100 bills in his chest pocket and was portrayed in the movie "The Hustler," died Thursday, a day before his birthday.
Fats, whose exact age was unknown, died of congestive heart failure."He was the world's greatest," Theresa Bell Wanderone said in announcing his death.
"Now he's finally in heaven, shooting it out again with (Willie) Mosconi. He always said, `St. Peter, rack 'em up.' "
Mosconi, Minnesota Fats' legendary rival, died in 1991 at age 80.
Fats' age was a matter of dispute. Associates said he was born Jan. 19, 1900, but a 1966 biography, "Bank Shot," listed his date of birth as Jan. 19, 1913.
"No one on this Earth knows how old I am," he said in a 1988 interview with The Associated Press.
Fats, whose real name was Rudolf Wanderone Jr., was portrayed by Jackie Gleason in the 1961 movie that starred Paul Newman. He was born in New York City and played pool all his life in various parts of the country.
Fats, who once weighed 245 pounds, was known earlier in his pool days as New York Fats, but became known as Minnesota Fats because of Gleason's character in the movie.
In the movie, the character Minnesota Fats was a dapper, deadeye pool player challenged by a younger player out to win his respect.