Most recent WWE deaths: A list of the most recent deaths in WWE

Most recent WWE deaths: A list of the most recent deaths in WWE

Kevin Omuya
March 9, 2024 at 4:08 PM

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is a professional wrestling promotion body that draws millions of spectators annually. Sadness, however, lies beyond the glitz and glamour of the ring; the loss of wrestlers who have left an indelible mark on the sport. This post delves into the most recent WWE deaths and examines their impact on the game.

List of most recent deaths in WWE
The Iron Sheik, Bray Wyatt, and former WWE Star Mike 'Mantaur' Halac (L-R) were talented wrestlers who died too soon. Photo: Bobby Bank, Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Source: UGC

Table of Сontents:

Tragedies involving the untimely deaths of brilliant wrestlers are nothing new to the professional wrestling industry. The deaths of multiple legendary WWE characters in recent years have served as sobering reminders to fans of the brevity of life outside the ring.

Most recent deaths in WWE

Wrestlers' name

Date of birth

Date of death

Bray Wyatt

May 23, 1987

August 24, 2023

Terry Funk

June 30, 1944

August 23, 2023

Jay Briscoe

25 January 1984

17 January 2023

Iron Sheik

15 March 1942

7 June 2023

Billy Graham

7 November 1918

21 February 2018

Bushwhacker Butch

21 October 1944,

2 April 2023

Darren Drozdov

7 April 1969

30 June 2023

Lanny Poffo

28 December 1954

2 February 2023

Jerry Jarrett

4 September 1942

14 February 2023

Mike Mantaur Halac

14 May 1968

11 July 2023

Absolute Andy

22 September 1983

23 November 2023

The list shows the latest WWE deaths. This information is derived from credible news sources, official WWE announcements, and reputable wrestling news websites for reports of recent deaths within the WWE community. These sources may include wrestling news outlets like WWE.com, Pro Wrestling Torch, and Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

11. Bray Wyatt

One of the latest WWE deaths
Bray Wyatt (with locks) chokes Finn Balor during a wrestling match at Barclays Center. Photo: Chad Matthew Carlson
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Windham Lawrence Rotunda
  • Age of death: (36 years old)
  • Nationality: American
  • Cause of death: Heart attack

Bray Wyatt's (the real-life Windham Rotunda) untimely death at 36 years of age. It was one of the most tragic and devastating incidents in wrestling history. Wyatt is one of the most recent WWE wrestlers to die.

From 2009 until his release in 2021, Wyatt was an employee of WWE. With the acquisition of creative control by Paul "Triple H" Levesque, the late celebrity was brought back to the organization. Excitingly, he made a triumphant return to WWE at Extreme Rules 2022.

When Wyatt joined the reality show "WWE NXT" in 2010 as Husky Harris, he made his television debut on WWE TV. He became a member of the main roster heel stable called The Nexus.

10. Terry Funk

Terry Funk, one of the most recent deaths In WWE history
Terry Funk attends the 2011 WWE Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Philips Arena on April 3, 2011, in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo: Moses Robinson
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Terrance Dee Funk
  • Age of death: 79 years old
  • Nationality: American
  • Cause of death: Not disclosed

Hardcore wrestling icon Terry Funk, a WWE Hall of Fame member, passed away on August 23 at 79. Even before he passed away, the "Funker" was supposedly "badly crippled" and confined to a wheelchair.

During the 1960s, Funk and his brother, Dory Funk, Jr., were a tag team in professional wrestling. Funk joined his brother at WrestleMania II, marking his WWF debut in 1985. He was also a wrestler in World Championship Wrestling, where he and Ric Flair had an iconic feud.

In 2006, he battled Foley, Edge, and Lita as part of a trio with Tommy Dreamer and Beulah McGillicutty in his last about in WWE. In 2009, he became a member of WWE's Hall of Fame.

9. Jay Briscoe

Jay Briscoe is among the recent WWE wrestler deaths
Wrestlers Jay Briscoe (left) and Mark Briscoe of The Briscoe Brothers visit the SiriusXM Studios on April 4, 2019, in New York City. Photo: Cindy Ord
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Jamin Dale Pugh
  • Age of death: 38 years old
  • Nationality: American
  • Cause of death: Road accident

The real-life Ring of Honor legend Jamin Pugh, played by Jay Briscoe, passed away on January 17 at 38. While travelling in Delaware with his daughters, Briscoe was killed in an automobile accident.

In May of 2000, at sixteen, Jay Briscoe debuted in professional wrestling, sharing the ring with his brother for a promotion in Delaware. After rebranding themselves as "Dem Boyz," the siblings made their ROH debut in 2003. While competing as a singles champion, Jay Briscoe twice held the ROH World Championship. The Briscoe brothers were among the first class of 2022 to be admitted into the Ring of Honor Hall of Fame.

8. Iron Sheik

Iron Sheik's demise is among the most recent wrestler deaths
The Iron Sheik attends Supercon 2010 on June 19, 2010, in Miami, Florida. Photo: Gustavo Caballero
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri
  • Age of death: 81 years old
  • Nationality: Iranian
  • Cause of death: Cardiac arrest

The Iron Sheik, whose real name was Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, was an 81-year-old Iranian amateur. The wrestler's death happened on June 7. In 1979, in Madison Square Garden, the spiritual home of WWE, Sheik made his WWF debut. He appeared in WCCW, AWA, NWA, and WCW multiple times before leaving the company.

Among the many highlights of Sheik's legendary career were his victories in the 1983 WWF Championship and, in 1984, his match against Hulk Hogan, widely regarded as the most infamous in wrestling history. In 2005, he became a member of WWE's Hall of Fame.

7. Billy Graham

Billy Graham is one of the most recent WWE wrestlers to die,
Billy Graham is one of the most recent WWE wrestlers to die. Photo: KMazur
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Eldridge Wayne Coleman Jr.
  • Age of death: 79 years old
  • Nationality: American
  • Cause of death: Sepsis

Also in 2023, on May 17, at 79 years old, "Superstar" Billy Graham passed on. For about a year leading up to his death, the WWE Hall of Famer battled a host of health problems.

Graham made his WWE debut in 1975. After defeating Bruno Sammartino for the WWF Championship in 1977, he remained champion for a record-breaking ten months—what WWE refers to as "the longest reign for any ring villain in WWE history to this day." Scott Steiner, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, and Hulk Hogan were all influenced by him. In 2004, he was elected to the Hall of Fame.

6. Bushwhacker Butch

One of the most recent WWE deaths
Miller "Bushwhacker Butch" is one of the most recent WWE deaths . Photo: @WWE (modified by author)
Source: UGC
  • Full name: Robert Miller
  • Age: 78 years old
  • Nationality: New Zealand
  • Cause of death: Health issues

Bob Miller, better known as WWE Hall of Famer "Bushwhacker" Butch, passed away on April 2 at the age of 78 after a short illness and a stay in intensive care. He had travelled to Los Angeles to make an appearance at WrestleMania. Reportedly, he forgot to bring the prescriptions for his high blood pressure when travelling, which led to his death.

They were known as The Bushwhackers when they transitioned to the WWF at the tail end of 1988 after winning multiple NWA championships. They were contestants at various WrestleMania and even dabbled in mainstream culture by wrestling on "Family Matters." In 2015, the Bushwhackers were enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

5. Darren "Droz" Drozdov

Droz, one of the most recent WWE wrestlers to die
Former WWE superstar, Droz (Darren Drozdov). Photo: @worldwrestlingflashbacks (modified by author)
Source: UGC
  • Full name: Darren Alexander Drozdov
  • Age of death: 54 years old
  • Nationality: American
  • Cause of death:

Darren "Droz" Drozdov, a 54-year-old former WWF and ECW star died on June 30th of natural causes. Following his time in the NFL, Droz joined the WWF.

In 1998, he was also a member of ECW. Accidentally hurt during a match with D'Lo Brown during an unaired segment of an October 1999 episode of "WWF SmackDown" ended Droz's in-ring career. Droz was hindered from the neck down when a fall on his head fractured two cervical vertebrae during the contest.

4. Lanny Poffo

Most recent WWE deaths due to health issues
Lanny Poffo of the WWF. Photo: @LannyPoffo (modified by author)
Source: UGC
  • Full name: Lanny Mark Poffo
  • Age of death: 68 years old
  • Nationality: Canadian-American
  • Cause of death: Congestive heart failure

"The Genius" On February 2, at the age of 68, Lanny Poffo passed away from congestive heart failure. Within the WWF, Poffo was referred to as "Leaping" Lanny.

During the years 1985–1992, Poffo served with the WWF. Midway through the 1990s, he became a WCW member alongside his brother "Macho Man" Randy Savage. However, he never appeared on a television show.

3. Jerry Jarrett

Jerry Jarrett, one of the recent deaths In WWE history
Jerry Jarrett, the legendary pro wrestling promoter. Photo: @FoxNews (modified by author)
Source: UGC
  • Full name: Jerry Winston Jarrett
  • Age of death: 80 years old
  • Nationality: American
  • Cause of death: Esophageal cancer

Legendary wrestling promoter Jerry Jarrett lost his battle with esophageal cancer on February 14 at the age of 80. Jarrett and Jerry "The King" Lawler famously co-founded the CWA in 1977 in Memphis.

Jarrett later won the Mid-America Southern Tag Team Championship 15 times for the NWA. He was also a consultant for WWF and WCW for a long time. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame inducted Jarrett in 2018.

2. Mike Mantaur Halac

One of the recent WWE wrestlers' deaths
Former WWE wrestler Mike 'Mantaur' Halac. Photo: @MailSport (modified by author)
Source: UGC
  • Full name: Mike Halac
  • Age of death: 55 years old
  • Nationality: American
  • Cause of death: Back injury

According to his daughter, Mike "Mantaur" Halac passed away quietly in his sleep on July 11 at the age of 55. He was famous for being one of the most ridiculous characters in WWF history.

While working for the WWF, Halac was most famous for his role as Mantaur, a character that was considered dead on arrival during the New Generation era. Halac rejoined the WWF in 1997 under the guise of Tank when the gimmick was abandoned.

1. Absolute Andy

Absolute Andy's death is among one of the latest WWE deaths
German wrestling superstar Absolute Andy. Photo: @AbsoluteAndyGER (modified by author)
Source: UGC
  • Full name: Andreas Ullmann
  • Age of death: 40 years old
  • Nationality: German
  • Cause of death: Undisclosed illness

Tragically, German wrestling superstar Absolute Andy, whose real name was Andreas Ullmann, passed away peacefully in his sleep on November 23. He was 40 years old.

In 330 bouts for the promotion, Ullmann won two GWP world championships and five WXW tag team titles. In 2020, he assumed the role of Director of Sports. January 2022 was his last contest as a wrestler.

Final word

The most recent WWE deaths have created a hole in the WWE community. Their contributions to the sport ensure that their legacies will endure. Wrestlers from all across the globe have made an indelible mark on the sport and its fans via unforgettable moments and legendary contests.

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Authors
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Kevin Omuya
Kevin Omuya is a Content Writer with 4 years of experience who joined Sports Brief in 2022. In 2019 he held a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism & Digital Media from KCA University.