Table tennis champ Reisman dies at 82

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NEW YORK, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Table tennis champion Marty Reisman died in New York City at the age of 82, Table Tennis Nation announced.

Reisman, also know as "the Needle" for his quick wit and slender build, passed away Friday from complications of heart and lung ailments, The New York Times reported.

The table tennis legend won 22 major titles from 1946 to 2002, including two United States Opens and a British Open, and in 1997 he became the oldest player to win a national championship in a racket sport by winning the United States National Hardbat Championship at the age of 67.

Reisman, who was born in Manhattan on Feb. 1, 1930, was also once an opening act for the Harlem Globetrotters.