Former WWE Star Umaga Passes Away

We can now unfortunately confirm that former WWE star Umaga (Eddie Fatu) has passed away. According to a source, he suffered a second heart attack while in the hospital. He was 36.

Details are sketchy at this point but he apparently fell asleep last night while watching television, and several hours later, his wife found him not breathing with blood coming out of his nose and he was rushed to the hospital.

The suspicion on cause of death is prescription pills, as Umaga was reportedly found bleeding from his nose and mouth when found by his wife. We obviously can't confirm that yet until toxicology reports come back in several weeks.

We're told his family was told to get into town and to the hospital right away. Family members were told they believe he suffered a heart attack. He was taken off life support earlier today.

WWE will be issuing a statement later today or this weekend.

Umaga was released from his WWE contract in June after failing WWE's Wellness Policy for the second time. At that time, he refused the company's wishes to send him to rehab. So sad. He was on the Hulkamania Tour in Australia that just concluded last weekend.


Man, what a drag, I liked Umaga and he was my wife's favorite wrestler.

Boy, wrestlers sure do have short lifespans. RIP

Who?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Fatu

R.I.P. For a super heavy weight he was intense and moved like a man half his weight. Pro wrestlers sure have a bad habit of passing away at young ages.

DallasBlack wrote:

R.I.P. For a super heavy weight he was intense and moved like a man half his weight. Pro wrestlers sure have a bad habit of passing away at young ages.

That's because they spend most of their lives getting their asses kicked, falling on their heads, being pumped full of painkillers and steroids and touring most of the year...it's a wonder any of them live past 40.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

DallasBlack wrote:

R.I.P. For a super heavy weight he was intense and moved like a man half his weight. Pro wrestlers sure have a bad habit of passing away at young ages.

That's because they spend most of their lives getting their asses kicked, falling on their heads, being pumped full of painkillers and steroids and touring most of the year...it's a wonder any of them live past 40.

So true! When I was in High School I wanted to eventually become a pro wrestler if I ever got beefed up. Instead I got fattened up and it never happened, however, knowing what I know now I am glad it never happened. Especially when you figure out most pro wresters live in poverty traveling from town to town and living in their car (very few can make a living doing it, I'd say less than 10%).

Quote :

live in poverty traveling from town to town and living in their car (very few can make a living doing it, I'd say less than 10%)

Like being in a band...

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Quote :

live in poverty traveling from town to town and living in their car (very few can make a living doing it, I'd say less than 10%)

Like being in a band...

If you want to be in a professional band yeah.

DallasBlack wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

DallasBlack wrote:

R.I.P. For a super heavy weight he was intense and moved like a man half his weight. Pro wrestlers sure have a bad habit of passing away at young ages.

That's because they spend most of their lives getting their asses kicked, falling on their heads, being pumped full of painkillers and steroids and touring most of the year...it's a wonder any of them live past 40.

So true! When I was in High School I wanted to eventually become a pro wrestler if I ever got beefed up. Instead I got fattened up and it never happened, however, knowing what I know now I am glad it never happened. Especially when you figure out most pro wresters live in poverty traveling from town to town and living in their car (very few can make a living doing it, I'd say less than 10%).

I wanted to be a pro wrestler too, we used to do backyard wrestling a lot. That's probably why my lower back is all screwed up.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

DallasBlack wrote:

R.I.P. For a super heavy weight he was intense and moved like a man half his weight. Pro wrestlers sure have a bad habit of passing away at young ages.

That's because they spend most of their lives getting their asses kicked, falling on their heads, being pumped full of painkillers and steroids and touring most of the year...it's a wonder any of them live past 40.

Alot of them don't make past 40.

R.I.P.

There have been a great number of wrestling deaths in the near 20 years I've been a fan. Natural causes such as stroke, heart attack, cancer, etc. (N-some of these brought on by drugs & hard living), murdered (M), suicide (S), murder/suicide (M/S), accident (A), overdose (OD):

Andre The Giant (N), Dino Bravo (M), Earthquake (N), Big Boss Man (N), Rick Rude (N), Louie Spicolli (OD), Crush (N), Test (S), Chris Benoit (M/S), Miss Elizabeth (OD), Curt Henning (OD), Bam Bam Bigelow (OD), Yokozuna (N), Professor Tanaka (N), Captain Lou (N), Owen Hart (A), Queen Sheri (OD), Big Dick Dudley (N), The Renegade (S), Crash Holly (OD), Brian Hildebrand (N), Bertha Faye/Rhonda Sing (N), Fabulous Moolah (N), Big John Studd (N), Hercules Hernandez (N), Bad News Brown (N), Classie Fredie Blassie (N), Kerry Von Eric (S), Roadwarrior Hawk (N), Davey Boy Smith (N), Chris Candido/Skip (surgery complications), Brian Pillman (N), Eddie Guererro (N), Johnny Grunge (N), Rocco Rock (N), Terry Gordy (N), Junkyard Dog (N), Chris Adams (M), and Gorilla Monsoon (N).

Those are just the ones I'm most familiar with (I might have forgotten one or two). Quite a list, 39 people dead in less than 20 years. Apart from Freddie Blassie, Fabulous Moolah, Gorilla, and Lou Albano none lived passed 50.

Wrestlers who I'm suprised are still alive:

Scott Hall (by all accounts this man should be dead)
Jake Roberts (even moreso)
Lex Luger (weighs 100 pounds and is mostly paralized but still alive)
Terry Funk (the man of 1000 retirements and wrestled his entire late 40s to late 50s in bloody hardcore matches)
Abdullah The Butcher (performed in more hardcore matches than any wrestler ever-even some that would make Terry Funk nauseous-still wrestles in his early 70s and is so fat he needs people to help him roll out of the ring)

Add Sabu to the list of people that somehow are among the living. Also Ric Flair, I'm sure would have just dropped at some point in time, if not for his 'retirement' match, but he does keep making appearances even so..

Orion Crystal Ice wrote:

Add Sabu to the list of people that somehow are among the living. Also Ric Flair, I'm sure would have just dropped at some point in time, if not for his 'retirement' match, but he does keep making appearances even so..

Sabu is a good one can't believe I forgot him. As for Ric Flair, I wouldn't quite put him in that list just yet because apart from keeping himself in good conditioning, it remains to be seen whether he comes back full time or just makes sporadic appearences in matches.

In the last ten years many WWF/WWE wrestlers have died. Some died from natural causes but most had came to an early death as a result of the business they’re in. It’s a shame that so many have died in the name of entertainment and are now forgotten about.


The Junk Yard Dog:

Sylvester Ritter died on the 2nd June 1998 after falling asleep at the wheel of his car and crashing in to a tree on the way back from his daughters graduation ceremony.

At the time of his death he was45 years old.




Ravishing Rick Rude:

Richard Rood died on 20th April 1999 from an accidental drug overdose of mixed medications which caused his heart to fail. In 1994 he admitted to taking anabolic steroids to built muscle mass and relive joint pain.

At the time of his death he was 40 years old.




Owen Heart:

Owen Heart died on the 23rd May 1999 in front of a live crowd after his ring entrance went disastrously wrong. He was supposed to descent from the rafters of the arena to the ring as part of his Blue Blazer gimmick but the harness he was wearing released early causing him to fall 78 feet and he landed chest first on the ring ropes.

At the time of his death he was 34 years old.


Gorilla Monsoon:

Robert James Marella died on the 6th October 1999 from heart failure brought on by complications with diabetes.

At the time of his death he was 62 years old.


Yokozuna:

Rodney Anoia died from fluid in his lungs on the 23rd October 2000. It’s been widely reported that he died from a heart attack or heart failure.

At the time of his death he was 34 years old.




British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith:

David Smith died on the 18th May 2002 from a heart attack. It’s been reported that his past use of steroids played a part in his death.

At the time of his death he was 39 years old.


Mr. Perfect:

Curt Henning died on the 10th February 2003 from a cocaine overdose. Curts father said that a lethal combination of steroids and pain killers also contributed to his death.

At the time of his death he was 44 years old.


Miss Elizabeth:

Elizabeth Hulette died on the 1st May 2003 from a drug overdose. She was at the home of Lex Lugar the night she died. Lex was later charged with 14 drug possession counts.

At the time of her death she was 42 years old.


Classy Freddie Blassie:

Fred Blassie died on the 2nd June 2003 from heart failure.

At the time of his death he was 85 years old.


Legion Of Doom Hawk:

Michael Hegstrand died on the 19th October 2003 in his sleep from a heart attack. He was moving in to a new house with his wife when he felt tired and took a nap. A few hours later when his wife checked on him he was dead.

At the time of his death he was 45 years old.


Crash Holly:

Michael Lockwood died on the 6th November 2003 from choking on his own vomit or a drug overdose. He was found face down in a pool of vomit and blood at fellow wrestler Steven Richards house with an empty bottle of Carisoprodol lying next to him. It’s believed that he overdosed on over 90 of the pills.

At the time of his death he was 32 years old.


Former WWF president Jack Tunney:

Jack Tunney died on the 24th January 2004 from a heart attack. It’s interesting to note that no one from the WWE was at his funeral.

At the time of his death he was 69 years old.


Hercules:

Hercules Hernandes died on the 6th March 2004 in his sleep. The cause of his death is believed to be a heart attack.

At the time of his death he was 46 years old


The Big Boss Man:

Ray Traylor died on the 22nd September 2004.The official cause of his death has never been disclosed but it’s been said that he died from a massive heart attack.

At the time of his death he was 41 years old.


The Body Donnas Skip:

Chris Candido died on the 28th April 2005 from complications after he had surgery to repair his broken ankle. A few days after the surgery he suffered a blood clot which killed him.

At the time of his death he was 33 years old.


Lord Alfred Hayes:

Alfred Hayes died on the 21st July 2005 after suffering a series of strokes.

At the time of his death he was 76 years old.


Eddie Guerrero:

Eddie Guerrero died on the 13th November 2005 of heart failure. He had trouble in his life with drug and alcohol addictions, and although he had been clean for years before he died his past excesses were a contributing factor in his death.

At the time of his death he was 38 years old.

Earthquake:

John Tenta died on the 7th June 2006 from cancer. He had bladder cancer and underwent chemotherapy but it didn’t go as hoped and the cancer spread to his lungs.

At the time of his death he was 42 years old.


Bam Bam Bigelow:

Scott Bigelow died on the 19th January 2007 from a drug overdose. The autopsy found toxic levels of cocaine and benzodiazepine in his body.

At the time of his death he was 45 years old.


Bad News Brown:

Allen Coage died on the 6th March 2007 of a heart attack. He was rushed to hospital complaining of chest pains.

At the time of his death he was 63 years old.


Sensational Queen Sherri:

Sherri Martel died on the 15th June 2007 from a drug overdose. Apparently the autopsy said there were more than a couple of drugs found in her system including hill billy cocaine.

At the time of her death she was 49 years old.


Chris Benoit:

Chris Benoit died on the 24th June 2007 by committing suicide. He hung himself after murdering his wife and son! It’s thought that he killed his wife and son on either Friday or Saturday then killed himself on Monday. An autopsy showed that Benoit had xanax, hydrocodone and an elevated level of testostrone in his system.

At the time of his death he was 40 years old.



Demolition Crush:

Brian Adams died on the 13th August 2007 from a suspected drug overdose. It’s not proven that he died from an overdose but all reports suggest that’s the most probable cause.

At the time of his death he was 44 years old.


Fabulous Moolah:

Lillian Ellison died on the 3rd November 2007 from complications after she had shoulder surgery.

At the time of her death she was 84 years old.

I don't know Umaga, but wow, this list of deceased wrestlers is astounding. Makes Captain Lou Albano lucky that he lived to such a ripe old age.

One of the most fascinating stories regarding the death of a wrestler deals with the death of Bruiser Brody (King Kong Brody). I can't remember the link I read regarding the detailed version of Brody's death, but I remember that a corrupt local government (involving a crime syndicate) was at the forefront regarding the fact that nobody was prosecuted for his murder, even though the events were witnessed by many wrestlers that night. Tony Atlas supposedly was scared for his life, hence he has remained silent for the most part regarding the events of that night.


http://www.amazon.com/Brody-Triumph-Tragedy-Wrestlings-Rebel/dp/1550227602/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260205842&sr=1-1

DallasBlack wrote:

R.I.P. For a super heavy weight he was intense and moved like a man half his weight. Pro wrestlers sure have a bad habit of passing away at young ages.

So do drug addicts.

Dino Bravo was also executed for his involvement in a cigarette smuggling ring.

Three of the Von Erich brothers committed suicide.

Gentleman Chris Adams was shot and killed after getting in a fight at a bar.

DallasBlack wrote:

There have been a great number of wrestling deaths in the near 20 years I've been a fan. Natural causes such as stroke, heart attack, cancer, etc. (N-some of these brought on by drugs & hard living), murdered (M), suicide (S), murder/suicide (M/S), accident (A), overdose (OD):

Andre The Giant (N), Dino Bravo (M), Earthquake (N), Big Boss Man (N), Rick Rude (N), Louie Spicolli (OD), Crush (N), Test (S), Chris Benoit (M/S), Miss Elizabeth (OD), Curt Henning (OD), Bam Bam Bigelow (OD), Yokozuna (N), Professor Tanaka (N), Captain Lou (N), Owen Hart (A), Queen Sheri (OD), Big Dick Dudley (N), The Renegade (S), Crash Holly (OD), Brian Hildebrand (N), Bertha Faye/Rhonda Sing (N), Fabulous Moolah (N), Big John Studd (N), Hercules Hernandez (N), Bad News Brown (N), Classie Fredie Blassie (N), Kerry Von Eric (S), Roadwarrior Hawk (N), Davey Boy Smith (N), Chris Candido/Skip (surgery complications), Brian Pillman (N), Eddie Guererro (N), Johnny Grunge (N), Rocco Rock (N), Terry Gordy (N), Junkyard Dog (N), Chris Adams (M), and Gorilla Monsoon (N).

Those are just the ones I'm most familiar with (I might have forgotten one or two). Quite a list, 39 people dead in less than 20 years. Apart from Freddie Blassie, Fabulous Moolah, Gorilla, and Lou Albano none lived passed 50.

Wrestlers who I'm suprised are still alive:

Scott Hall (by all accounts this man should be dead)
Jake Roberts (even moreso)
Lex Luger (weighs 100 pounds and is mostly paralized but still alive)
Terry Funk (the man of 1000 retirements and wrestled his entire late 40s to late 50s in bloody hardcore matches)
Abdullah The Butcher (performed in more hardcore matches than any wrestler ever-even some that would make Terry Funk nauseous-still wrestles in his early 70s and is so fat he needs people to help him roll out of the ring)

I read that Lex Luger became a Christian after Ms Elizabeth's death and that he now goes and gives his testamony

Ive also read Scott Hall has a Radio show or something or a web show, I saw a pic and he's gained weight but also heard he cleaned up

I was going through some of my old tapes that have wrestling on them and the number of guys who are now dead makes it hard to watch. Tough not to think about the families they leave behind.

The Bruiser Brody deal was made even worse by the fact the wrestling company tried to portray the killer as heroic and brave for slaying the big bad villain.

The most tragic demise will always be Owen Hart and Chris Benoit.

Considering the pounding these guys take night in night out, it's not suprising a lot of them succumb to painkillers and their side effects.

It's really sad though.

R.I.P.