Lou Thesz (Aloysius Martin Thesz) was born in Banat, Michigan. His working-class immigrant parents Martin, a shoemaker of Hungarian and German descent, and Katherine Schultz, also of German descent, hailed from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Lou Thesz (Aloysius Martin Thesz) died from complications after having a triple bypass surgery for an aortic valve replacement at the age of 86 at a hospital in Orlando, Florida.