MINNEAPOLIS – Pro wrestling legend Verne Gagne had an altercation with a fellow resident of a Minnesota health care facility, leading to the man’s death, a relative said Thursday.

The incident between Gagne and Helmut Gutmann, 97, occurred Jan. 26 at the memory loss section of Friendship Village in Bloomington, Minn., said Ruth Hennig, a daughter of Gutmann.

Gutmann, who immigrated to the United States in 1936 as the Nazi threat grew, suffered a broken right hip and died Feb. 14.

“No one knows” what led to the altercation, said Hennig, in a telephone interview Thursday morning from Boston.

Police are investigating the death and trying to determine whether to recommend charges to the Hennepin County attorney’s office, said Deputy Chief Perry Heles.

Hennig said her family has yet to discuss whether they want Gagne prosecuted.

“We’re still dealing with the death on an emotional level,” she said. “My mother (Betty) is pretty upset.”

Hennig added that the two men had clashed previously. “I don’t really know any details, but obviously it was not as severe as this,” she said.

Hennig said her father “came through the surgery just fine” and was receiving physical therapy. However, early last week “he just stopped taking any sustenance at all. … He stopped eating and drinking” in what his daughter believes was his decision.

As for Gagne, Hennig said, “If you grew up in the Minneapolis area in the ’60s, everybody knew him. … When we noticed his name on the nameplate (at Friendship Village), you were like ‘wow.”‘

Gagne, 82, was born in Corcoran, Minn., was a pro wrestler from 1949 to 1981 and was known as being generous to many charities. In 1960, he began “All Star Wrestling” on television. In college, he won NCAA wrestling titles for Minnesota.

Helmut and Betty Gutmann, who raised their family in Bloomington, moved to Friendship Village about 10 years ago, with Helmut transferring to the memory loss section about two years ago. Hennig believes Gagne had been in that section for many months, having seen his name on a room whenever she visited her father.

Once in the United States, Gutmann was a captain in the Chemical Warfare Service of the Army. He worked for 40 years as a research scientist at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Minneapolis. His research resulted in the publication of 120 papers in professional journals.

Gutmann also cherished classical music and played the violin for many years, including 12 years with the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra.

A memorial service is scheduled for March 14 at the Minnesota Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Bloomington, a worship house that the Gutmanns helped found.

Hennig said her father “was deeply committed to advancing scientific knowledge to the cause of cancer.”

She added that he “loved classical music so much. … As he was in his last days, we made sure we had Bach and Mozart CDs playing in the background, hoping that would give him some peace.”

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AP-NY-02-19-09 1302EST