21 Wrestlers Who Died In 2018

21. Mountain Fiji (2 January)

Original Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling star Emily 'Mountain Fiji' Dole passed away at the turn of the year, having suffered from various health complications for many years. She was 60 years old.

One of the first names on the GLOW roster at its inception, the un-toppleable Dole quickly marked herself out as the show's most beloved star, sharing feuds opposite monster baddies Big Bad Mama and Matilda the Hun. Her popularity briefly parlayed into a television and film career, credits including the Pauly Shore vehicle Son in Law and CBS science-fiction Hard Time on Planet Earth.

As GLOW was reaching its conclusion, Dole was involved in an unsavoury incident when the LA County Sheriff's Dept. invaded her sister's home during a bridal shower. In echoes of the Rodney King scandal, three dozen members of Dole's American Samoan family were beaten at police hands. Dole herself, aware of her celebrity, passively took her abuse, all in front of a neighbour's video camera. Nine years later, the family won a legal settlement from the LACSD after suing on the grounds of racial discrimination.

Towards the end of her life, Dole had been living in an assisted care facility. She died on 2 January.