Wrestling Legend "Rowdy" Roddy Piper Is Dead At 61

The wrestling world is dealing with another sad death this year as WWE Hall of Famer "Rowdy" Roddy Piper (real name Roderick Toombs) has died of a cardiac arrest, aged 61. TMZ broke the news saying that he died in his sleep on Thursday night and was discovered on Friday. Piper had cancer in 2006, but he noted in November that he was cancer free and a family member told TMZ that he was all clear at the time of his death. A family member issued this statement: "Our family is saddened by the sudden passing of our father and beloved husband, Roderick Toombs aka Rowdy Roddy Piper."

Piper will be remembered by wrestling fans as one of the best talkers in the history of the business as well as one of the best heels. His villainous role at WrestleMania 1 was huge, acting as a perfect anthesis to Mr. T and Hulk Hogan. If that show didn't deliver then who knows where WWE would be today. Piper's role was to get people to love Hogan and Mr. T as much as possible and he nailed it. WWE Chairman Vince McMahon issued this statement on WWE.com: €œRoddy Piper was one of the most entertaining, controversial and bombastic performers ever in WWE, beloved my millions of fans around the world. I extend my deepest condolences to his family.€ Piper's son Colt, who recently started his career as a professional wrestler, tweeted about his dad's death. https://twitter.com/ColtToombs/status/627247324268400640 As you might expect, many people in the wrestling business tweeted about his death. Much like Dusty Rhodes, who passed away in June, Piper was a beloved figure that was idolized by so many wresting fans that grew up watching wrestling in the 1980s and beyond. https://instagram.com/p/50bZxhoh0d/ https://twitter.com/TripleH/status/627256345385799680 https://twitter.com/StephMcMahon/status/627261469458104320 https://twitter.com/JohnCena/status/627249533098049536 https://twitter.com/ShawnMichaels/status/627258223368671232 https://twitter.com/steveaustinBSR/status/627257633997615104 https://twitter.com/GovJVentura/status/627256029290467328 https://twitter.com/MDMTedDiBiase/status/627266641999626240 https://twitter.com/RealDDP/status/627241410920587264 https://twitter.com/JCLayfield/status/627242395113885696 https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/627250188403392513 https://twitter.com/CMPunk/status/627269137543204864 https://twitter.com/CMPunk/status/627269264500654080 https://instagram.com/p/50l2UsBEal/ Hulk Hogan, who was arguably Piper's greatest on screen rival in wrestling, commented to TMZ on his friend's passing: "He was my best friend. He is a legend. God's gain is our loss. May his family in this time of need, find peace. Much love forever, HH." Piper was inducted in WWE's Hall of Fame in 2005 and it's very likely that the company will pay tribute to the wrestling legend next week during their television shows. He is survived by his wife Kitty, three daughters and his son. On behalf of everybody here at WhatCulture.com, we express our deepest condolences to his friends and family.