Wrestling legend “Rowdy” Roddy Piper is no more.
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Piper, a wrestling and pop-culture icon, died of a heart attack at his home in Hollywood.
Piper joined the WWE in 1984 after getting his start in pro wrestling in the late ’70s. In one of the legendary matches, Hogan and Mr. T beat Piper and Paul Orndorff on March 31, 1985 in what was the first WrestleMania at Madison Square Garden, notes the Associated Press. They also offered their deepest condolences to the Toombs family, friends and fans.
“Rod passed peacefully in his sleep last night”, he said. Prior to his death, he defended Hulk Hogan amid the racism scandal involving his friend.
In 2006, Piper was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but eventually made his way back to WWE in 2008.
Born Roderick Toombs, Piper hailed from Canada, but spent his wrestling career playing up his Scottish heritage, wearing a kilt to the ring and being billed as from Glasgow, Scotland. My last action figure as a gift from my father was a Rowdy Roddy Piper Legends figure.
He and his wife, Kitty, had four children. Hulk and Piper had been competitors for years in the ring.
Variety reported that Academy Award-winning film maker John Carpenter also expressed his heartbreak, tweeting: “I’m devastated by the passing of my friend Roddy Piper“. His wrestling career influenced countless other performers and fighters alike, even the MMA fighter Ronda Rousey who recently stepped into the limelight is using Piper’s “Rowdy” nickname after getting his permission once he retired. He said that his dad was his best friend and that he will miss him.
The Hall of Fame wrestler was a frequent guest at comic conventions around the country where he was very popular with fans and fellow guests. “Roddy is the greatest entertainer in wrestling History, bar none”, said Ric Flair, who inducted Piper.
“I love him like a dad”, Skakel told E! Hogan adds, “God’s gain is our loss”.
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Cast as a villain early in his career, Piper once cracked a coconut over the head of one of his rivals, Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka.
