Professional Wrestlers Who Died Young
Wiki: According to a study by Eastern Michigan University, mortality rates for professional wrestlers are 2.9 times greater than the rate for men in the wider US population. Experts suggest that a combination of the physical nature of the business, no off-season, and the drug culture of the 1970s and 1980s contributes to high mortality rates among wrestlers.
Of these well-known professional wrestlers who died at age 45 or younger, which do you remember best?
Discuss the list here
Of these well-known professional wrestlers who died at age 45 or younger, which do you remember best?
Discuss the list here
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Mike Von Erich was born on 2 March 1964 in Dallas, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for World Class Championship Wrestling: Star Wars (1981), Mid South Wrestling (1981) and The Von Erichs: Front Row Ringside (1987). He was married to Shani Garza. He died on 12 April 1987 in Lake Dallas, Texas, USA.Age 23 - suicide by drug overdose- David Von Erich was born on 22 July 1958 in Dallas, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for World Class Championship Wrestling (1972) and World Class Championship Wrestling: Star Wars (1981). He was married to Patricia A. Matter and Candy L. McLeod. He died on 9 February 1984 in Tokyo, Japan.Age 25 - acute enteritis
- Reid Flair was born on 26 February 1988 in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. He was an actor, known for WCW Thunder (1998), Lucha Libre USA: Masked Warriors on YouTube (2011) and WCW Monday Nitro (1995). He died on 29 March 2013 in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.Age 25 - drug overdose
- Louis Mucciolo was born on 10 February 1971 in San Pedro, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Eastern Championship Wrestling (1993), WCW Monday Nitro (1995) and WCW Thunder (1998). He died on 15 February 1998 in Los Angeles, California, USA.AKA Louie Spicolli; age 27 - drug overdose
- Gino Hernandez was born on 8 August 1957 in Highland Park, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for World Class Championship Wrestling (1972), Mid South Wrestling (1981) and World Pro Wrestling TV (1984). He was married to Janice Marie Bancroft. He died on 2 February 1986 in Highland Park, Texas, USA.Age 28 - drug overdose
- Lance McNaught was born on 2 March 1981 in Carroll, Iowa, USA. He was an actor, known for WWE Smackdown! (1999), WWE Raw (1993) and WWE Sunday Night Heat (1998). He was married to Tanya R. Gonzales. He died on 13 August 2010 in San Antonio, Texas, USA.AKA Lance Cade; age 29 - cardiomyopathy
- Art Barr was born in 1967 in Portland, Oregon. He was the son of professional wrestler Ferrin Barr, or Dandy Sandy. Barr grew up in Portland in & around the wrestling scene. He started wrestling around Oregon in the early 80s, and was mentored by the legendary 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper. He created a Beetlegeuce-like character called "The Juicer" that briefly took him to WCW in the early 90s. He was involved in a scandal around that time where a female wrestling fan accused him of raping her. He plea-bargained the charge down to first-degree sexual assault. He went to Mexico and slowly but surely became a huge star in the EMLL and AAA federations. He was nicknamed "The Love Machine" and turned into a top heel. He wrestled a few matches in America and a few Mexican PPV matches shortly before his untimely death. Unfortunately, he was rumored to have something of a drug problem, and was found dead in his bed on November 23, 1994. He was just 27 years old.Age of 29 - undetermined cause (possibilities included heart failure, overdose and steroid use)
- Rick McGraw was born on 19 March 1955 in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. He was an actor, known for WWF on MSG Network (1973), WWF Championship Wrestling (1972) and WWF Prime Time Wrestling (1985). He was married to Lisa McCarty. He died on 1 November 1985 in New Haven, Connecticut, USA.Age 30 - heart attack
- Joseph A. Marella was born on 28 February 1963 in Willingboro, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for WWE Raw (1993), Saturday Night's Main Event (1985) and No Holds Barred (1989). He died on 4 July 1994 in Burlington, New Jersey, USA.Age 31 - car crash (fell asleep at the wheel)
- Michael Lockwood was born on 25 August 1971 in Pacifica, California, USA. He was an actor, known for WWE Smackdown! (1999) and WWE Jakked (1999). He was married to Christeena Wheeler. He died on 6 November 2003 in Navarre, Florida, USA.AKA Crash Holly; age 32 - suicide by drug overdose
- Buzz Sawyer was born on 14 June 1959 in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. He was an actor, known for WWF All-Star Wrestling (1972), UWF Power Pro Wrestling (1984) and World Class Championship Wrestling (1972). He died on 7 February 1992 in Sacramento, California, USA.Age 32 - heart attack
- Chris Candido was born on 21 March 1972 in Spring Lake, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for WCW Thunder (1998), WWE Raw (1993) and WrestleMania XII (1996). He was married to Tammy Sytch. He died on 28 April 2005 in Matawan, New Jersey, USA.Age 33 - blood clot
- Kerry Adkisson was born on February 3, 1960, to Jack and Doris Adkisson. Jack was a wrestler, so most of Jack's children followed in his footsteps (one child, Jack Adkisson, Jr., tragically died in 1959 from electrocution). Kerry was a standout discus thrower at University of Houston, and actually held the SWC discus record; coincidentally, Kerry's father Jack was the previous record holder). Kerry began wrestling around 1980, and his biggest achievement was pinning Ric Flair for the NWA world heavyweight title on May 6, 1984, at Texas Stadium at the inaugural David Von Erich Memorial Parade Of Champions, a wrestling super-card in memory of Kerry's brother David who died in Japan during a wrestling tour in January of that year; Flair would regain the title 18 days later in Yokohama, Japan. Kerry was poised to be a superstar for years to come, but a serious motorcycle accident in 1986 would change his life forever. His injuries from the accident were so severe that a foot had to be amputated, and he wrestled with a prosthetic foot for the rest of his career. As a result of these injuries, he became addicted to painkillers, and in 1991 he was arrested for forging prescriptions; this resulted in him being fired from the WWF. He was given probation, but a little over a year later, he violated his probation by being caught in possession of unauthorized prescription drugs. Recently divorced and despondent over an impending prison sentence. Kerry Adkisson took his own life on February 18th, 1993, at the family ranch. He was preceded in death by his four brothers: Jack (1952-1959), David Von Erich (1958-1984), Mike Von Erich (1964-1987) and Chris Von Erich (1969-1991).Age 33 - suicide by gunshot
- Andrew Martin was born on 17 March 1975 in Whitby, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor, known for 18 Wheels of Justice (2000), WWE Smackdown! (1999) and WWE Metal (1999). He died on 12 March 2009 in Tampa, Florida, USA.AKA Test; age 33 - drug overdose
- Chase Tatum was born on 3 November 1973 in Kennesaw, Georgia, USA. He was an actor, known for Who's Your Caddy? (2007), Creature from Black Lake (1976) and WCW Monday Nitro (1995). He died on 23 March 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.Age 34 - drug overdose
- Owen Hart was one of twelve children from a legendary Canadian wrestling family. His brother Bret is also one of the most well known wrestlers of all time. Owen was one of the best wrestlers in the business and his major accomplishments include being the 1994 King of the Ring, former Intercontinental Champion(2), former European Champion, and co-holder of the Tag Team Championship (4). Sadly, Hart plunged to his death on May 23, 1999 during a PPV when he was performing a spectacular entrance. Hart was only 34 and is survived by his wife Martha, his son Oje and his daughter Athena.Age 34 - fall from roof during a match
- Bobby Duncum Jr. was the son of Bobby Duncum Sr., and he debuted as a wrestler for the Texas-based Global Wrestling Federation in September 1992. He went on to have successful runs in All Japan Pro Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling, but he is best known for his appearances in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He began a program with WCW World Television Champion Chris Jericho, but was unable to win the belt. However, 1999 would be a turning point in his career as he turned heel and aligned himself with Curt Hennig, Kendall Windham, and Barry Windham as the West Texas Rednecks, a group that feuded with rappers Master P and the No Limit Soldiers. Once they recorded the song "Rap is Crap", they earned recognition from Southern fans despite them being heels. He died of an accidental drug overdose on January 24, 2000, aged 34.Age 34 - accidental prescription drug overdose
- Born on March 28th, 1973, Eddie Fatu, more widely known as WWE Wrestling Superstar "Umaga" came from a long line of Samoans wrestlers with a rich history.
Also known as "The Samoan Bulldozer," the 6' 4", 350-lb. wrestler earned a reputation for executing moves with more ease than one might expect from someone his size, facing off in high-profile bouts with WWE celebrities such as Triple H and Ric Flair.
Fatu worked on and off for the WWE several years before the organization terminated his contract in June for violating the WWE's Wellness Program and refusing to enter rehab, the WWE said on its site, without providing specifics.
Fatu, 36, died Friday, December 4th, 2009, of a heart attack in a hospital in Houston, Texas.AKA Umaga; age 36 - heart attack - Davey Boy Smith was born on 27 November 1962 in Manchester, England, UK. He was an actor, known for WCW Monday Nitro (1995), WWE Smackdown! (1999) and WCW Saturday Night (1985). He was married to Diana Hart. He died on 18 May 2002 in Invermere, British Columbia, Canada.Age 39 - heart attack
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Stunts
Debuted in World Championship Wrestling in 1995 under the name Chris Kanyon. He was soon teamed up with Mark Starr, and they were given a construction workers gimmick and named Men At Work. In 1997 he became Mortis, a member of James Vandenberg's (James Mitchell) Collection Of Human Oddities. He later unmasked again to briefly be part of The Raven's Flock stable (led by Raven aka Scott Levy) and was simply known as Kanyon. After leaving The Raven's Flock, Kanyon went through numerous gimmick changes. His new gimmicks included being part of The Jersey Triad with Scott 'Bam Bam' Bigelow and Diamond Dallas Page ('Page Falkinberg') and being Chris 'Champagne' Kanyon, or CCK for short. His most recent gimmick was as 'Positively' Kanyon - a character which imitated every mannerism of Diamond Dallas Page, even claiming to have written an auto-biography entitled 'Positively Kanyon' (a take on Falkinberg's auto-biography 'Positively Page').Age 40 - suicide by prescription drug overdose- Christopher Michael Benoit is a Canadian wrestler who was born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Michael and Margaret Benoit. He grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, from where he was billed throughout the bulk of his career. He had a sister living near Edmonton.
During his 22-year career, Benoit worked for numerous promotions including the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/WWE), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Industry historian Dave Meltzer considered him "one of the top 10, maybe even the top 5, all-time greats".
Benoit held 22 championships between WWF/WWE, WCW, NJPW, and ECW. He was a two-time world champion, having been a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and a one-time World Heavyweight Champion in WWE; he was booked to win a third world championship at a WWE event on the night of his death. Benoit was the twelfth WWE Triple Crown Champion and sixth WCW Triple Crown Champion, and the second of five men in history to achieve both the WWE and WCW Triple Crown Championships. He was also the 2004 Royal Rumble winner, joining Shawn Michaels as the only two men to win a Royal Rumble as the number one entrant. Benoit headlined multiple pay-per-views for WWE, including a victory in the World Heavyweight Championship main event match of WrestleMania XX in 2004.
Benoit murdered his wife and son on June 22, 2007, and hanged himself two days later. Research suggests depression and brain damage from numerous concussions are likely contributing factors leading to the crime.Age 40 - suicide by hanging - Ray Traylor was born on 2 May 1963 in Marietta, Georgia, USA. He was an actor, known for Fully Loaded (1999), WCW Monday Nitro (1995) and WWE Smackdown! (1999). He was married to Angela Easterwood. He died on 22 September 2004 in Dallas, Georgia, USA.Age 42 - heart attack
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Brian Adams was born on 31 January 1963 in Kona, Hawaii, USA. He was an actor, known for WWE Smackdown! (1999), WCW Saturday Night (1985) and Saturday Night's Main Event (1985). He was married to Irene Yumiko. He died on 13 August 2007 in Tampa, Florida, USA.Age 43 - accidental prescription drug overdose- Nancy Daus-Sullivan was born on 21 May 1964 in Orlando, Florida, USA. She was an actress, known for WCW Monday Nitro (1995), WCW Worldwide (1975) and Eastern Championship Wrestling (1993). She was married to Chris Benoit, Kevin Sullivan and Jim Daus. She died on 22 June 2007 in Fayetteville, Georgia, USA.AKA Nancy Benoit; age 43 - murdered by her husband, Chris Benoit
- Sean O'Haire was born on 25 February 1971 in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA. He was an actor, known for WCW Monday Nitro (1995), WCW Thunder (1998) and WWE Raw (1993). He was married to Joy Elizabeth. He died on 9 September 2014 in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA.Age 43 - suicide by hanging
- Jonathan Rechner was born on 11 April 1972 in Nutley, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for Eastern Championship Wrestling (1993), WWE Smackdown! (1999) and I Spill Your Guts (2012). He was married to Gayle Schechter. He died on 12 April 2016 in Spring Lake Heights, New Jersey, USA.AKA Balls Mahoney; age 44 - heart attack
- Curt Hennig was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as the son of one of wrestlings all time legends - Larry Hennig - Aka Larry The Ax Hennig. Curtbegan training to follow in his fathers footsteps when he was just 12 years old. Starting off in the AWA - Curt began his career as a tag team wrestler. He won the AWA Tag Team Championship with Scott Hall before concentrating on a singles career in the AWA. He became the AWA Heavyweight Champion in only his second year with the company before capturing the attention of the WWF. The WWF was looking to acquire the services of second generation stars and Curt Hennig fitted the bill perfectly. He made his debut in the WWF in 1988 as "MR.PERFECT". Curt's character was an instant hit with WWF fans and he quickly established himself as a quality technical wrestler. Fellow second generation WWF star and one of Curt's closest friends - Bret Hart aka Bret The Hitman Hart was also making waves in the WWF along the same time. Bret Hart and Curt Hennig began a legendary feud that would end in an Intercontinental Championship match at SummerSlam in 1992. Curt Hennig defended his WWF Intercontinental Title against Bret Hart at SummerSlam to end what had become a captivating feud between two of the best technical wrestlers in WWF history. However, Curt had suffered a serious back injury during a house show just prior to the big event. Against doctors orders, Curt Hennig made his way to the ring as Mr.Perfect and defended his Intercontinental Title at SummerSlam against the Hitman Bret Hart. Bret went on to win the match but was full of praise for his friend and opponent afterwards. Hart called Hennig "the best wrestler and one of the best workers he had ever worked with". Despite being praised for working a high profile match through a serious injury - Curt ended up paying a price. Curt's back injury had been aggravated and that caused him major problems in the future. After taking a few months of to rest his injury, Curt returned to the WWF, however his return was short lived as his back once again flared up in late 1993. As a result, Curt was out of the ring until 1996. During that period, Curt worked as a commentator for the WWF until his contract expired at the end of 1995. By this time, Curt's back had healed enough for him to consider a return to a WWF or WCW ring. Understanding the importance of having an Impact Player like Curt Hennig on their roster, WCW got involved in a bidding war for Mr.Perfect's services. In the end, WCW won and Curt Hennig signed a 4 year contract with WCW. Hennig returned to the ring for the first time in 3 years and in only his second official singles match since his return - Curt won the WCW United States Championship. He held the title on three separate occasions along with the WCW Tag Team Championship. However, his talents were being wasted in WCW and at the end of his contract in 2000, Curt decided against signing an extention with the company and proceeded to take a break from the sport altogether. In 2001, he returned to the ring with XWF and made appearances in Australia with the WWA. While these appearances were good enough as a stop-gap measure, Curt was hoping to make a comeback in the World Wrestling Federation - and sure enough the WWF contacted Curt Hennig to make his return to the WWF as Mr.Perfect in the 2002 Royal Rumble. What was initially billed as a one time arrangement, resulted in Curt Hennig once again re-joining the WWF after signing a long term contract. While Curt may have claimed to be perfect inside the ring, his life outside the ring was anything but perfect. In May 2002,he was fired by Vince McMahon after getting into a fight with Brock Lesnar on a charter flight. On February 10, 2003, he was found dead in a Tampa hotel. He was slated to wrestle on an independent card headed by Jimmy Hart at the Florida State Fair. The cause of death was later found to be acute cocaine intoxication. He left behind his wife of 20 years, Leonice, and four children.Age 44 - combined drug intoxication
- Actor
- Soundtrack
The man who would eventually become known as the Junk Yard Dog was born on December 13, 1953, in Wadesboro, North Carolina. He played football & wrestled in high school and was drafted by the Houston Oilers in 1975 after graduating from Fayetville State University, but was cut after blowing out his knee. He tried out of the Packers and held a few odd jobs until he began his wrestling career in the IWA in 1977. After stints in Memphis & Germany, he began working in Calgary for Stu Hart and spent much of 1978 working against Bret Hart, Jake Roberts, and Tommy Billington. After awhile he & Roberts traveled to Louisiana to work for Bill Watts. It was Watts who came up with the name Junk Yard Dog for Ritter. There he did a still famous angle with Michael Hayes (Michael Seitz) when it was alleged that Hayes blinded him, and the audience believed it, to the point where one fan actually pulled a gun on Hayes mid-match. He also worked with Paul Orndorff and Ted DiBiase. In his personal life, the Dog was known to be a giving, kind man, but his divorce led him into heavy cocaine use. His drawing power was fading in New Orleans, but the WWF, led by Vince McMahon soon scooped him up. He was popular, and had a match with Harley Race at WrestleMania III (1987) that drew well, but he was gaining too much weight and was eventually released. He turned up in WCW and ECW in the early 90s briefly, but was considered a has-been. He died in a car accident on June 2nd, 1998. He was 45.AKA Junkyard Dog - car accident (fell asleep at wheel)