Gene Kiniski in an undated photo. (CBC)Gene Kiniski, a former professional wrestler and member of the Edmonton Eskimos, died Wednesday morning.

Kiniski, 81, succumbed to cancer in a long-term care facility, his sister Dorothy Roberts said from her home in B.C.

"He was my baby brother. I was 13 when he was born so he was pretty special to me all his life," Roberts, 94, said.

Kiniski was born near Edmonton on Nov. 23, 1928, and was the youngest of six children. He started his pro wrestling career in 1953 after a knee injury prompted to quit the Eskimos after three seasons.

Kiniski worked in wrestling circuits in Canada, the United States and even in Japan in the 1950s and '60s. He kept wrestling until the early 1990s. He had been living recently in Blaine, Wash.

"He was a great performer, and to be a good wrestler you have to be a great performer," said Edmonton Coun. Ron Hayter, who knew Kiniski.

"Most of the time, he was a villain in the ring … if you draw your conclusions on what he did in the ring, you'd think he was a pretty bad hombre. But in fact, he was a very interesting gentleman, and [I'm] very sad to hear that he's left us."

Kiniski's mother Julia Kiniski and his brother Julian both served on Edmonton city council.

Kiniski even acted in films. According to IMDB.com, he appeared as a wrestler in Paradise Alley, a 1978 film starring Sylvester Stallone.

With files from the CBC's Kate Scroggins and The Canadian Press