Valentine was originally from
Maple Valley, Washington. He was married in the early 1950s and the marriage lasted 20 years until they divorced. He was later married to a woman named Sharon, who worked across the street from his apartment in the mid 1970s when they met. She later visited John as he was recovering in hospital from his 1975 plane crash. Sometime later, the relationship ended as he didn't want her to see him in his condition. Years later, while on braces and crutches, he managed to drive around her neighbourhood for hours until he found her house. As he slowly walked to the front door, Sharon's daughter announced to Sharon that Johnny Valentine was in front of their home. Sharon, having been ill, refused to go to the door and hid. Valentine insisted he wouldn't leave until he saw her. When she finally came to the door, he asked her to marry him and she accepted. Following John's death, Sharon planned to write a book titled
A Never Ending Love Story of a Wrestler and His Wife about their life together. He also had a son from a long-ago previous relationship,
Greg Valentine, who has wrestled professionally since 1970 and is best known as Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. and many stories continue to circulate about practical jokes, or
ribs, that he played on his fellow wrestlers. On October 4, 1975, Valentine was in a
private airplane (a twin-engined
Cessna 310 Because of the weight of the passengers, the pilot realized that he could not take off without reducing the amount of
fuel the plane was carrying. Part way through the flight, the aircraft ran out of fuel and crashed near
Wilmington, North Carolina. The crash broke Flair's back, He is also a member of the
Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame. and he joined the
St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame the following year. Valentine died peacefully in
River Oaks, Texas on April 24, 2001. He was 72. His wife Sharon kept his ashes in her bedroom. She died in 2013. == Championships and accomplishments ==