WWE's Roddy Piper Dies; John Cena, Edge & More Remember 'Rowdy'
WWE wrestler and Hall of Famer Roddy Piper died Thursday of cardiac arrest.
Aged 61, the kilted Canadian passed away in his Hollywood home, according to TMZ.
"Rod passed peacefully in his sleep last night," Jay Schacter, Piper's agent, informed Variety. "I am shocked and beyond devastated."
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Known in the ring as "Rowdy," Piper and the WWE played off the wrestler's Scottish ancestry, decking him out with a kilt and blasting bagpipes as his entrance theme. After joining the WWE in 1984, Piper quickly gained fame as villain and was finally inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005. Despite leaving the WWE at various points in his carrier, Piper made guest appearances as recently in 2014.
Although sidelined by a battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma in the 2000s, TMZ reports that Piper was cancer free at the time of his death.
Several of Piper's former opponents and WWE comrades took to Twitter on Friday to remember their deceased colleague. See messages from John Cena, The Iron Sheik, Edge, and Kevin Owens below.
One of the true greats of all time. My heart goes out to his family and the fans he entertained over the years. RIP Rowdy.
— John Cena (@JohnCena) July 31, 2015
RODDY PIPER. I LOVE YOU FOREVER. GOD BLESS YOU BUBBA — The Iron Sheik (@the_ironsheik) July 31, 2015
Grew up a fan(still have my Hot Rod shirt), became a colleague, and most importantly, became a friend. Bagpipes are playing #RIPHotRod
— Adam (Edge) Copeland (@EdgeRatedR) July 31, 2015
One of the most mesmerizing and inspiring people I ever met in wrestling… RIP Mr. Piper. And thank you for this… pic.twitter.com/rn7YNyn3jr — Kevin Owens (@FightOwensFight) July 31, 2015
