WWE wrestler Bray Wyatt has passed away. The beloved wrestler, known for his role as the leader of the Wyatt family and The Fiend, died at the age of 36 after suffering a heart attack.
The death of Wyatt, whose real name was Windham Rotunda, was announced yesterday by WWE chief content officer and former WWE superstar Paul âTriple Hâ Levesque on his official Twitter account.
âJust received a call from WWE Hall of Famer Mike Rotunda who informed us of the tragic news that our WWE family member for life Windham Rotunda – also known as Bray Wyatt – unexpectedly passed earlier today. Our thoughts are with his family and we ask that everyone respect their privacy at this time,â Levesque wrote.
In Bray Wyattâs last WWE press conference he spoke passionately about taking risks and doing it because he wanted to leave a legacy. đ he said that was the beautiful thing about pro wrestling that there was something for everyone đ pic.twitter.com/DJEDZ2c6z8
— Denise 'Hollywood' Salcedo (@_denisesalcedo) August 24, 2023
Wyatt hadnât been on WWE programming since his final match against LA Knight in the Mountain Dew Pitch Black Match at the Royal Rumble in January. At the time, Fightful Select (via Wrestling Inc.) reported that Wyatt took some time away to recover from a âcareer- and life-threateningâ illness.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select revealed on Twitter that the reason Wyatt was sidelined was due to his contracting covid, which reportedly exacerbated his heart issues.
âThere was a lot of positive progress towards a return and his recovery,â Ross Sapp tweeted. âUnfortunately today he suffered a heart attack and passed away.â
man i forget how cool bray wyatt was capable of being pic.twitter.com/RmGgI3Td7d
— forever botchamania (@Maffewgregg) August 24, 2023
The third-generation wrestler first debuted in WWE in 2010 as Husky Harris before being repackaged as the cultist leader of the Wyatt Family in 2013 alongside Erick Rowan and the late Luke Harper. Wyatt would later headline Wrestlemania in a match against The Undertaker, win the WWE tag team championships, and become the WWE World Heavyweight and Universal Champion. Toward the end of his career, Wyatt took the WWE universe by storm with the debut of his new character, The Fiend: an amalgamation of a Blueâs Clues-esque TV host and a Freddy Krueger-like horror villain.
WWE superstars John Cena, Dwayne âThe Rockâ Johnson, and Alexa Bliss, as well as AEW superstars like Wyattâs former tag team partner Matt Hardy, shared their heartbreak over Wyattâs passing on social media.
Devastated by the news of the passing of Windham Rotunda. My heart goes out to the entire Rotunda family. Windham brought the best out of me in so many ways. Iâm forever grateful for the moments we shared. A sad day for all those he reached around the world. RIP.
— John Cena (@JohnCena) August 25, 2023
Im heartbroken over the news of Bray Wyattâs passing. Always had tremendous respect and love for him and the Rotunda family. Loved his presence, promos, in ring work and connection with @wwe universe.
Very unique, cool and rare character, which is hard to create in our crazy⊠pic.twitter.com/i9zlbJIOL3— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) August 24, 2023
Iâm just in shock. Extremely heart broken And at a loss for words. What I can say is what an amazing human being Windham is. An Amazing & kind friend. one of the most creative minds to ever walk this earth. Windham, youâve brought so much joy and happiness to everyone around you.⊠pic.twitter.com/QELzyKKkNI
— Lexi (Kaufman) Cabrera (@AlexaBliss_WWE) August 24, 2023
https://twitter.com/embed/status/1694868924054053070
ManâŠthe first dude that took me under his wing when I got signed in 2009. We spent so much of our adult lives together. Praying for Jojo. Praying for his kids. I will miss your laugh & your boyish charm, my friend. Goodbye, Windham.
— Ettore âBig Eâ Ewen (@WWEBigE) August 24, 2023
Absolutely shattered to learn that my friend, Windham Rotunda, has passed away. Itâs devastating to think he left us at only 36 years young. My condolences go out to his family, wife & children. Iâm so sorry, my compeer. Miss you already. pic.twitter.com/AVNuOTjdsx
— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) August 24, 2023
Wyatt was the type of wrestler who could have an audience hanging on the edge of their seats, whether it be from the awesome pageantry of his ever-creative Firefly Funhouse segments, his otherworldly entrances, or his explosive in-ring moves. Wyattâs notoriety within the world of professional wrestling eventually led to a touching moment where The Undertaker passed the torch to Wyatt as the companyâs next phenom. Wyattâs passing also comes days after the passing of WWE Hall-of-Famer Terry Funk.