Referee Wayne Kelly suffered a fatal heart attack yesterday and passed away at the age of 63. The IBF confirmed the sad news today.  Kelly was a New Yorker who served the United States in the Viet Nam War and had a brief pro career (going 4-3 acording to boxrec). However, it was as a referee that Kelly made his name.  Boxing fans have Kelly to thank for one of the greatest comebacks in memory, becaue Kelly allowed Arturo Gatti to fight on despite two virtually closed eyes, which enabled Gatti to knock out Wilson Rodriguez and establish himself as the blood-and-guts warrior of his generation. Had Kelly stopped the bout sooner, Gatti's career might not have followed the same arc and the 2002 battle against Micky Ward may never have happened. Kelly also officiated one of the best cruiserweight bouts of all time, O'Neill Bell-Jean Marc Mormeck I, as well as Wladimir Klitschko's heavyweight title unification win over Sultan Ibragimov, both in 2006. However, it was a decade earlier, when a proper ruling by Kelly touched off one of the most violent incidents in boxing history. Kelly, clearly hesitant to end the bout via disqualification, had no choicer but to disqualify Andrew Golota for repeatedly hitting Riddick Bowe with low blows. Kelly's verdict touched off a riot in New York City's Madison Square Garden. Boxingtalk sends its condolences to the friends and family of Wayne Kelly, who is survived by his children Ryan and Jaclyn. To see Kelly in action during the Bowe-Golota fight, click here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV8A7jCf4Cg, and during the Gatti-Rodriguez fight, click here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpQ-x1EGRL4