Diane Vachon (January 23, 1951 – August 24, 1991) was a Canadian

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

and singer, best known by her ring name Vivian Vachon. A member of the

Vachon family The Vachon family is a French-Canadian family long associated with professional wrestling in Canada and the United States, headed by Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon, his brother Paul "Butcher" Vachon - both longtime NWA and AWA veterans - and their sis ...

of wrestlers, she was the sister of

Maurice Maurice may refer to: People * Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr * Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and ...

and

Paul Vachon Paul Vachon (born October 7, 1937) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He is a member of the Vachon wrestling family. He is perhaps best known by his ring name Butcher Vachon. Professional wrestling career Paul Vachon grew up as one of t ...

, and the aunt of

Luna Vachon Gertrude Elizabeth Vachon ( ; January 12, 1962 – August 27, 2010) was an American-Canadian professional wrestler, better known as Luna Vachon.Lisa S. Davis,Ex-wrestler Luna Vachon, 48, found dead", ''Tampa Bay Online'' (August 31, 2010). Over ...

. She is considered one of the best female wrestlers of the 1970s.

Early life

Diane Vachon was born on January 23, 1951 in Newport, Vermont to Ferdinand and Marguerite Vachon, and was part of the

. The youngest of thirteen children, Vachon was raised on a farm near

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

, Quebec. She left high school following the

10th grade Tenth grade or grade 10 (called Year Eleven in England and Wales, and sophomore year in the US) is the tenth year of school post-kindergarten or the tenth year after the first introductory year upon entering compulsory schooling. In many parts of ...

, and briefly attended Constance Brown's Charm School. She later modelled for a short period and worked in an office.

Professional wrestling career

At the suggestion of her brother

, she began to train as a

, and went to

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

to train under

The Fabulous Moolah Mary Lillian Ellison (July 22, 1923 – November 2, 2007) was an American professional wrestler better known by her ring name The Fabulous Moolah. She began her career working with promoter Billy Wolfe and his wife, wrestler and trainer Mild ...

. It was also Maurice who suggested she adopt the ring name Vivian Vachon (sometimes spelled Viviane Vachon). In 1969, she wrestled for

World Wide Wrestling Federation Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd. was an American sports promotion company. It was run by Vincent J. McMahon from 1953 to 1982. Operating as the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC), the company was originally a professional wrestling and boxing ...

where she teamed with Bette Boucher feuding with

and

Toni Rose Toni Rose is an American retired professional wrestler. Professional wrestling career Rose grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. She decided to become a professional wrestler at the age of seven, but first attended Terre Haute High School and col ...

. In February 1971, she became the California Women's Champion. She became the American Wrestling Association's (AWA) Women's Champion for a time, defeating

Kay Noble Mary Charlene Noble (October 15, 1940 – April 27, 2006), known from childhood by her nickname Kay Noble, was an American professional wrestler. Her career spanned from the 1950s to the 1980s, during which time she was known for her toughnes ...

on November 4, 1971. In the early 1970s she starred in the movie ''Wrestling Queen'', which also included her brothers and other wrestlers. She wrestled in the early 1980s on a tour of Japan, and in 1986 for her brother Maurice's retirement tour. In 2006, she was honored posthumously by the

Cauliflower Alley Club The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America. Established in 1965 by Mike Mazurki and Art Abra ...

. Existing autographs signed by Vachon are thought to be rare.

Personal life

Vachon was a talented singer and released a few singles in French. In July 1976, she married wrestler Buddy Wolfe, but the couple separated three years later in 1979. That same year in November, she married Canadian Armed Forces member Gary Carnegie, with whom she had two children, Ian (born 1980) and Julie Lynn (1982-1991). Vachon and Carnegie divorced in 1991.

Death

Vachon and her nine-year-old daughter Julie died in a car accident on August 24, 1991. They were hit by a

drunk driver Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is i ...

who had run a stop sign in Mont Saint-Grégoire at the corner of route 104 and Rang de la Montagne.

Championships and accomplishments

* American Wrestling Association **

AWA World Women's Championship The AWA World Women's Championship was the women's professional wrestling title in the American Wrestling Association The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota tha ...

( 1 time) *

** Posthumous Award ( 2006) * National Wrestling Alliance **

NWA Texas Women's Championship The NWA Texas Women's Championship is the National Wrestling Alliance's women's professional wrestling championship in the state of Texas. Title history See also *Jim Crockett Promotions Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. is a family-owned ...

(1 time) *

Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (PWHF) and Museum is an American professional wrestling hall of fame and museum located in Wichita Falls, Texas currently closed to water leaks. The museum was founded by Tony Vellano in 1999, and was previo ...

** Class of 2015 * Other titles ** California Women's Championship (1 time) ** GPW Women's Championship (1 time)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vachon, Vivian 1951 births 1991 deaths 20th-century professional wrestlers Accidental deaths in Quebec AWA World Women's Champions Canadian female professional wrestlers Professional wrestlers from Quebec Professional wrestlers from Vermont Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum Road incident deaths in Canada Vachon family