WWE Wrestling legend and infamous B-Movie actor “Rowdy” Roddy Piper has died at the age of 61…
Reports that Canadian born Piper (Roderick George Toombs) has passed away from cardiac arrest in his sleep at his home in Hollywood on Thursday night. He was discovered on Friday. This just adds to the already alarming list of impressive names from 80’s/90’s wrestlers lost at a young age.
A family member told TMZ,
“Our family is saddened by the sudden passing of our father and beloved husband, Roderick Toombs aka Rowdy Roddy Piper.”
Piper was an iconic ‘bad guy’ wrestler during the 80’s rise of fame for the WWE (then WWF) franchise. Along with mainstay names like Hulk Hogan, Junk Yard Dog, Andre the Giant, Macho Man Randy Savage and Sgt. Slaughter, they all revolutionized wrestling into the TV conglomerate it is today. Roddy began in the early ’80s, and even wrestled in “Wrestlemania I” back in 1985 … squaring off against Hulk Hogan and Mr. T.
Who else could get away with wearing a kilt, having a finishing ‘Sleeper Hold’ and an ever so sneaky trademark move of his ‘Eye Poke’. And who can forget Roddy hitting ‘Superfly’ Jimmy Snuka in the head with a coconut on television in July 1984. Piper headlined several major pay-per-view events; he participated in the main events of WrestleMania I and WrestleMania X
Returned to the WWE at Wrestlemania 19 in March 2003 to help Vince McMahon attempt to beat Hulk Hogan. This was surprising to most as Roddy and Vince are not each other’s biggest fans (both on-air and in real life). Piper began hosting his interview segment “Piper’s Pit” again and worked for the WWE until July 2003. Piper had a long relationship with WWE — last wrestling back in 2008 … but appeared on various WWE shows up until 2014.
The only downside to Rowdy Roddy Piper’s wrestling career is that he has never won a world championship and is likely the most famous professional wrestler never to do so. Though he was a former World Tag Team Champion. Roddy was admitted into the WWE Hall of Fame back in 2005 and was one of the top 50 villains in the history of the WWE .
In 2007, Piper became the second pro-wrestler, the other being Sgt. Slaughter, to have their likeness crafted in a G.I. Joe figure. According to his filecard, he is a trainer for Destro‘s Iron Grenadiers.
Roddy is survived by his wife Kitty and their 4 kids — including 3 daughters. One daughter is an actress Ariel Teal Toombs and his son is MMA Fighter Colt Toombs.
Source) TMZ Sports