Famous pro wrestler 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper dies at 61
Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 4:35 pm
Wrestling superstar "Rowdy" Roddy Piper has died at age 61. Multiple reports indicate that Piper died
in his sleep from a heart attack.
Upon learning of his death, WWE chairman Vince McMahon tweeted that Piper was "one of the most
entertaining, controversial and bombastic performers ever in WWE beloved by millions of fans around
the world."
Piper, whose real name was Roddy Toombs, is a member of the WWE Hall of Fame, and was one of the
core members of the '80s-era WWE (then known as the WWF). Born in Saskatchewan, Canada, Piper
competed in the very first Wrestlemania, working a faux-Scottish angle in a tag-team match (along
with Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff) against Hulk Hogan and Mr. T, and quickly became one of the sport's
most hated villains.
Piper's rivalries with Hogan, Jimmy Snuka and even Cyndi Lauper set the tone for the WWF,
helping the wrestling organization achieve the nationwide prominence that it enjoys to this day.
Piper's key gimmick was "Piper's Pit," a mock talk show in which Piper would sit down with fellow
wrestlers to talk out the issues of the day.
in his sleep from a heart attack.
Upon learning of his death, WWE chairman Vince McMahon tweeted that Piper was "one of the most
entertaining, controversial and bombastic performers ever in WWE beloved by millions of fans around
the world."
Piper, whose real name was Roddy Toombs, is a member of the WWE Hall of Fame, and was one of the
core members of the '80s-era WWE (then known as the WWF). Born in Saskatchewan, Canada, Piper
competed in the very first Wrestlemania, working a faux-Scottish angle in a tag-team match (along
with Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff) against Hulk Hogan and Mr. T, and quickly became one of the sport's
most hated villains.
Piper's rivalries with Hogan, Jimmy Snuka and even Cyndi Lauper set the tone for the WWF,
helping the wrestling organization achieve the nationwide prominence that it enjoys to this day.
Piper's key gimmick was "Piper's Pit," a mock talk show in which Piper would sit down with fellow
wrestlers to talk out the issues of the day.