Former professional wrestler “Rowdy” Roddy Piper died July 31, 2015, reportedly of natural causes, at his home in Hollywood, California.
Advertisement
Piper and “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff took on Hogan and Mr. T in the first-ever WrestleMania.
He went on to star in John Carpenter horror film They Live, the AP notes, in which he delivered the classic line “I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass – and I’m all out of bubblegum”.
He and his wife, Kitty, had four children. “Rod passed peacefully in his sleep last night”, Schacter said in an email.
A statement posted to Piper’s official Facebook page said: “Our family is saddened by the sudden passing of our father and beloved husband, Roderick Toombs aka Rowdy Roddy Piper”.
Toombs’ humbly began his wrestling career as a teenager in Canada before gaining legions of fans and transcending the squared circle over almost five decades of performances. While wrestling in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), Rowdy Roddy Piper was born.
Hulk Hogan, who fought against him at Wrestlemania in 1985, led the tributes. “He was in great health as far as I knew”, his agent said.
In 2006, Piper was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma but declared himself clear of the disease in 2007 following months of radiation treatment.
The World Wrestling Entertainment confirmed the passing of the wrestler, whose given name was Roderick George Toombs.
Piper was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005, according to NYTimes.
Both of these things show how Piper’s influence is still on WWE programming today and will continue to be forever. Of course, his most famous Piper’s Pit segment included Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka and Piper cracking a real coconut over the legend’s head.
Director Carpenter said: “He was an under-rated actor and just a marvellous entertainer and I feel like I’ve just lost one of my close friends”. I will always cherish the moments I had with you. What a sweet message for Roddy’s grieving family. “God bless you Bubba”.
Advertisement
Upon hearing the news of Roddy’s death, his good friend Hulk revealed how much he’ll miss the wrestling legend.
