COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - To say goodbye to a South Carolina legend - hundreds went Tuesday night to remember the woman known in pro wrestling as "The Fabulous Moolah."

She'd move away, and her name would change, but it all started in South Carolina for Lillian Ellison. She was born in the Palmetto State. 

And in South Carolina, Ellison died last week at 84. Family described her as a legend, one etched in pro-wrestling history.

To fans, she was known as "The Fabulous Moolah."

A family member says, "One of the promoters asked her why she was into wrestling. What you expect from wrestling? She says 'All I want is the Moolah.' And it stuck and she made it."

Moolah made it for more than half-a-century as a pioneer for women in the World Wrestling Federation.

In the ring, she was known as much for her athletic ability as her glittery-bad-girl persona.

"I went to a lot of matches - Madison Square Garden, New York," she said. "It was something I will never forget. I enjoyed it. I always accepted it because that's what my nanna did."

Moolah made money as well as friends - some, complete strangers, like the hundreds of fans at the visitation Tuesday.

Then there are the women she inspired and trained.

"She was a mentor, friend, everything," one says.

"Moolah had a way of getting in your heart. And when she got there, she stayed."

Wednesday at noon, Lillian Ellison's funeral will be at the Dunbar Funeral Home. It'll be open to the public. For many, it's a chance for a final farewell to a South Carolina legend, the Fabulous Moolah.

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