"Rowdy" Roddy Piper, a professional wrestler whose athleticism and antics in the ring helped raise the profile of World Wrestling Entertainment in the 1980s, has died, his agent said on Friday.
Piper was 61. The cause of death was not immediately available. “Rod passed peacefully in his sleep last night,” his agent, Jay Schachter, said in a statement. “I am shocked and beyond devastated. He was an icon, a legend, an amazing man and a true friend.”
“He was one of the most generous, sincere and authentic people I have ever known,” Schachter added. “This is a true loss to us all.” He was born Roderick Toombs but adopted the nom-de-wrestling “Rowdy” Roddy Piper for his career.
He joined World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. in 1984 after a successful career with a rival group, the National Wrestling Alliance. The WWE billed him as “one of the most-hated villains ever to step between the ropes” and set him up as an antagonist to Hulk Hogan, with whom he sparred both in the ring and in interviews. The two squared off in the first WrestleMania in 1985 and in a television special that year, “The War to Settle the Score,” on MTV.
Piper rose to the level of Intercontinental Champion in 1992, briefly served as the interim president of the WWE in 1996 and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2005. 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.”
Piper also had a brief acting career, starring in the 1988 film “They Live,” directed by John Carpenter, about a man who discovers, with the help of magic sunglasses, that the world is secretly ruled by aliens. On Twitter, Carpenter called Piper “an underrated actor”.
“Devastated to hear the news of my friend Roddy Piper’s passing today,” Carpenter wrote on Facebook. “He was a great wrestler, a masterful entertainer and a good friend.”
Tributes to Piper on social media poured in from fans and fellow wrestlers on Friday night. Sgt. Slaughter, a wrestler from WWE’s early days, said he was “heartbroken” over Piper’s death.
On Twitter, Zack Ryder, a member of the current lineup, posted a picture of himself and Piper. The wrestler known as “Stone Cold” Steve Austin said: “I am shocked and saddened to hear of Roddy Piper’s passing. He was one of a kind and one of the all-time greats.”
Piper’s son, Colt Toombs, an aspiring mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, wrote that he considered his father his “best friend”.
New York Times