Wrestling superstar "Rowdy" Roddy Piper has died at age 61. Multiple reports indicate that Piper died in his sleep at about noon Pacific Time from a heart attack.
Piper, whose real name was Roddy Toombs, is a member of the WWE Hall of Fame, and was one of the core members of the '80s-era WWE (then known as the WWF). He competed in the very first Wrestlemania, working a faux-Scottish angle, and quickly became one of the sport's most hated villains.
Piper's rivalries with Hulk Hogan, Jimmy Snuka, and even Mr. T and Cyndi Lauper set the tone for the WWF, helping the wrestling organization achieve the nationwide prominence that it enjoys to this day.
Piper's key gimmick was "Piper's Pit," a mock talk show in which Piper would sit down with fellow wrestlers to talk out the issues of the day. Naturally, the talk lasted less than a minute before the fists flew.
Just last week, Piper was on the Rich Eisen Show, talking of his life and times as well as his old rival Hulk Hogan.
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