“Monster Man” Frank Mundus Dies At 82 (Photos)

“Monster Man” Frank Mundus died of a heart attack at age 82. Frank Mundus, the legendary shark fisherman was said to have inspired the character Captain Quint in the movie “Jaws”. Read more about Frank Mundus and see Mundus pictures below.

Click Thumbnails for Larger Images

Frank Mundus, the great shark man, died Wednesday at The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu after having a heart attack, his wife said. You can see a video about Frank Mundus and his love of sharks below.

It was Mundus’ second heart attack in four days. He suffered the earlier one Sept. 6 at Kona International Airport after returning from a business trip to New York.

Frank Mundus had a history of heart disease, his wife, Jeanette Mundus, 46, said from their home in Naalehu on the southern tip of the Big Island. He suffered his first heart attack in 1998 and later had quadruple bypass surgery.

Mundus became known as the “Monster Man” for the gigantic size of the sharks he caught.

Frank Mundus had a reputation as a fearless fisherman in Montauk beginning in 1951, hunting down the world’s biggest sharks.

“I had a lot of close calls,” he once said. “Probably too many close calls.”

In 1964, Mundus used a harpoon to catch a 4,500-pound great white. He later caught a 17-foot-long, 3,427-pound great white by rod and reel in 1986. Mundus described the experience to Esquire magazine.

“After you get the fish, you turn around and look at the fish, and you feel sorry for the fish because he’s your opponent,” Mundus recalled. “I always feel good that I won, but I feel sorry for the one who lost.”

On his Web site, Mundus said events from the 1964 catch influenced Peter Benchley, who wrote “Jaws.” But Benchley maintained that Quint was a composite character.

The best-selling book was turned into the 1975 movie, one that left swimmers a little unsure about taking a dip in the ocean.

Mundus, who was born in Long Branch, N.J. in 1925, called “Jaws” the “funniest and the stupidest” movie he had ever seen and said he some things in common with Quint such as similar fishing techniques.

Jeanette Mundus said her husband actively promoted shark conservation starting in the 1960s. He pushed the use of less damaging hook varieties that allow fishermen to catch and release the fish.

“A lot of people over the years have thought of him just as a hunter of sharks,” Jeanette Mundus said. “But he did try to preserve them.”

Frank Mundus retired to Hawaii in 1991 after a lifetime of fishing. He didn’t regularly fish for sharks off Hawaii, his wife said.

Our condolences to Jeanette Mundus and their family and friends on the death of Frank Mundus “Monster Man”.
See the video of Frank Mundus:

Images: PR

Source: news

• Patrick Swayze Suffered A Heart Attack! (Photos)
• Kelsey Grammer had heart attack.
• Katherine Heigl’s boob slip photo.
• Marie Hilley in “Wife, Mother, Murderer.”
• Steve Jobs Heart Attack: Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs Heart Attack Rumor (Pictures)
• Alligator Gar (Fishgator) Photos: Child Catches Strange Creature in Tempe Lake
• Japanese Goblin Shark (Photos & Video)
• Billy Mays Cause Of Death: May’s Autopsy Results
• Man Punches Shark & Saves Dog: Greg LeNoir Saves Dog From Shark (Video)
• Charlotte Observer NASCAR Reporter David Poole Dies At 50 (Photo)

Posted by: Monya

3 comments