“Rowdy” Roddy Piper dead at 61

His son Colt has followed his father’s footsteps into wrestling, while his daughter Ariel is an aspiring actress.

His agent Jay Schachter told Piper had a heart attack while sleeping at his home. His gimmick was entering the ring with a kilt and bagpipes, a nod to his Scottish heritage, which lead to his nickname “Roddy the Piper”. While Piper only held two belts during his years there (he held the World Tag Team Championship with Ric Flair and was an Intercontinental Champion), he was around at the flawless time as pro wrestling found its first mainstream acceptance, and his feud with Hulk Hogan was one of the touchstones of the era. He is a legend. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this great loss.

His family confirmed his death on Facebook Friday afternoon. “Much love forever, HH”.

CraveOnline extends its condolences to Piper’s family, friends, and fans all over the world.

Piper “retired” from the WWF following a victory at Wrestlemania III in 1986.

The wrestling world is now in mourning, with a major outpouring of grief from all corners of the industry. “Wrestling saved my life”.

Mr. Piper became a household name because of his rivalry with Hogan, and the involvement of pop star Cyndi Lauper and her friend Captain Lou Albano, also a wrestler. I was the bad guy. “But as all things have come around, he deserves everything, all the accolades he can get”. Slaughter, a wrestler from WWE’s early days, said he was “heartbroken” over Piper’s death.

Piper also starred in the 1988 John Carpenter cult classic sci-fi film “They Live“. On Twitter, Carpenter called Piper “an underrated actor”. He was named one of the WWE’s top 50 villains as well. “RIP Rowdy”.

Sorry to hear of the passing of my friend and Wrestlemania rival #RoddyPiper. God bless you bubba”, WWE legend Virgil said, “My main man. Always had my back.

The wrestler, who has a wife Kitty and four children, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2006. There were no immediate details about funeral arrangements.