WWE Legend Vader Dies From Heart Complications

Former NFL player and professional wrestler Leon White died at the age of 63, his son Jesse announced on Twitter Wednesday morning.

Vader underwent open heart surgery in March and he was progressing well after the operation, until his health took a sudden turn for the worse, and he was just unable to recover, according to TMZ.

He performed for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which later became the WWE, and All Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s and 2000s.

White died Monday night due to complications from pneumonia. He won the IWGP heavyweight title in 1989, defeating Shinya Hashimoto in the finals of an eight-man tournament.

Previously, the six-time world champion revealed has revealed his doctors believed his “heart is worn out”.

Vader never did enter the WWE Hall of Fame before his passing but did feel like his career was worthy of such an honor.

White was quickly sounded out to be natural at wrestling, and gained prominence in the Chicago based American Wrestling Association, before becoming a major star in Japan.

Foley credits Vader with some of the best and most brutal matches of his career, including an infamous match in Germany where Foley lost one of his ears. He was known for his feuds with The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. The 6-foot-4, 450-pound grappler ventured back to the United States to compete in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The WrestleZone report on the incident says that Vader spent a week on house arrest after the incident and was facing assault charges. In April 2017, White collapsed following a match in Tokyo in which he was dropped on his head. Along with his success in wrestling, Vader showed up on multiple episodes of Boy Meets World.