Just a month-and-a-half after Dusty's death, the wrestling world lost another great one when 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper suddenly passed away on July 31st, at the age of 61. Piper had often said that he wouldn't live to see his 65th Birthday, which isn't surprising considering his fast-living lifestyle for much of the seventies and eighties, but his death was still unexpected. Like Rhodes, it would be impossible to do Piper's illustrious career justice in the short space provided here. However, it is imperative to say just how big a star Piper was during one of wrestling's hottest ever periods. A key component of the rock and wrestling connection, the villainous Piper was the perfect foil for the all-conquering hero Hulk Hogan, whom he squared off against during the main event of the inaugural WrestleMania (Piper teamed with Paul Orndorff to face Hogan and Mr. T). It's hard to say whether or not that incredibly important event would have been the success it was were it not for the efforts of Piper. Outrageously entertaining and always keen to push the envelop (especially on Piper's Pit), few generated real heat the way Piper did. This year, in fact, Piper was voted by WWE as the number one villain in wrestling history, a result that few would disagree with. But Piper was also adept at playing babyface, being perhaps one of only a few who could do both exceptionally well. Outside the ring, Piper starred in many movies and had something of a second career as a straight-to-video action star. Of all his performances, his turn as 'John Nada' in John Carpenter's They Live is his best and the one with which he is most associated. Piper was not shy when it came to courting controversy and often fell out with Vince McMahon and WWE,although the two sides invariably made up with each other. Piper survived a cancer scare in 2006/7 but had a great many other physical problems. Despite that, he continued to perform in WWE up until WrestleMania XXV in 2009. His official cause of death was listed as cardiopulmonary arrest caused by hypertension, listing a pulmonary embolism as a contributing factor. In the wake of his death, WWE and the rest of the wrestling world paid tribute to him. There will never be another quite like Roddy Piper. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBMTYUjuuMg
