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Rowdy Roddy Piper: Another untimely death to hit WWE

The death of Rowdy Roddy Piper at the age of 61 sees the world of WWE in mourning yet again for one of its relatively young Hall of Famers.

Rowdy Roddy Piper: Another untimely death to hit WWE

The death of Rowdy Roddy Piper at the age of 61 sees the world of WWE in mourning yet again for one of its relatively young Hall of Famers.

Piper, an inductee in 2005, died in his sleep at his Hollywood home after suffering a cardiac arrest, just one month after the loss of WWE legend Dusty Rhodes.

The American Dream, 69, died in June after complications following a fall at his home in Florida. Rhodes was known to have been battling stomach cancer.

Dusty Rhodes died aged 69
Dusty Rhodes died aged 69

This year’s tragic events have swelled a growing list of WWE legends who have lost their life in middle age.

In April 2014, The Ultimate Warrior was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on the eve of WrestleMania XXX. The night after WWE’s flagship event, the 54-year-old made an emotional appearance on Monday Night RAW, during which he prophetically said to the crowd: “Every man’s heart one day beats its final beat.”

Twenty-four hours later he collapsed and died in front of his Arizona hotel as a result of cardiovascular disease.

In recent years the WWE has introduced it’s own Talent Wellness Program which, in its own words, ‘calls for regular cardiovascular evaluations or exams, ImPACTT testing, annual physicals, medical referrals and blood screening of WWE Talent, as well as random drug testing’.

The Ultimate Warrior was another victim to heart problems
The Ultimate Warrior was another victim to heart problems

Piper was a bombastic character and popular villain who stalked the likes of Hulk Hogan in the ring the 1980s. He also put in an impressive performance in the 1988 movie They Live and had recently starred in WWE Network’s reality TV special WWE Legends’ House.

Hot Rod, often seen wearing a trademark kilt in the ring, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2006 but had revealed last year that he was cancer free.

Rhodes was another hugely charismatic figure who had enjoyed success over several decades.

Earlier this year he had been featured on Monday Night RAW in backstage scenes revolving around the on-screen dispute between his real life sons and half brothers, WWE stars Goldust and Stardust.

Heart problems loom large among the roll call of wrestling stars to have died young.

One of the most extravagant, respected and memorable characters from the seventies and eighties was Macho Man Randy Savage. During a career that spanned 30-plus years he held six world titles across the WWF and WCW.

He headlined three WrestleManias and four SummerSlams and was a major influence in making the sport popular among the masses.

In 2011, Savage’s jeep careered off a road in Florida and reports said he had died in the crash. An autopsy revealed that he had in fact suffered a fatal heart attack at the wheel aged 58. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in March this year.

Randy Savage had a heart attack at the wheel and died in 2011
Randy Savage had a heart attack at the wheel and died in 2011

Eddie Guerrero, a WWE Triple Crown and Grand Slam title holder, died in 2005 in a Minneapolis motel room after acute heart failure. He was just 38, still actively involved in the WWE and was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.

Another of Hulk Hogan’s great rivals, Andre the Giant, was the original inductee into the WWF Hall of Fame. He died in his sleep in a Paris hotel room in 1993 aged 46, the reason given being congestive heart failure.

Ravishing Rick Rude was renowned for his supreme physique and competed in many headline TV events in the 1980s and 90s, but died in 1999 at the age of just 40 after suffering heart failure.

Super sized Japanese wrestling star Yokozuna was a two-time WWF champion and headlined WrestleMania X. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012, twelve years after dying in a Liverpool hotel room aged 34. Although it was widely reported that his death was due to heart failure, a pulmonary edema was later named as the cause.

The British Bulldog - Davey Boy Smith - died of a heart attack aged just 39
The British Bulldog - Davey Boy Smith - died of a heart attack aged just 39

British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith, a mainstay of WWF and WCW pay per view events over three decades, was just 39 when he collapsed and died from a heart attack while on holiday in 2002.

It is the very nature of our wrestling stars that we expect them to be larger than life. But sadly that hasn’t earned some of these legendary figures the right to enjoy a long life once they have stepped out of the ring.