Bray Wyatt, a three-time WWE World Champion, passed away at the age of 36. The wrestler's death was described as abrupt by his loved ones, although he had been suffering from an unknown health condition since February that had kept him out of the ring.
WWE content officer Triple H revealed the death of Wyatt, real name Windham Rotunda, through social media.
"Just 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," Triple H, whose real name is Paul Levesque, wrote on X (previously Twitter).
Just 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…
— Triple H (@TripleH) August 24, 2023
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was among many who spoke highly of the deceased actor. He said on X that he was "heartbroken" and that he had "always had tremendous respect and love" for the wrestler.
Mick Foley, a WWE commentator, said, "I thought so highly of Bray Wyatt ... He was a true visionary; one of the most compelling presences that wrestling has ever seen."
Wrestling journalist Sean Ross Sapp subsequently reported that the 36-year-old had died of a heart attack after an encounter with Covid that aggravated preexisting cardiac issues.
Im heartbroken over the news of Bray Wyatt’s 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.
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) August 24, 2023
Very unique, cool and rare character, which is hard to create in our crazy… pic.twitter.com/i9zlbJIOL3
An Overview of Bray Wyatt's Wrestling Career
Wyatt was born on May 23, 1987, in Brooksville, Florida. He won a state championship in high school wrestling and received a football scholarship to Troy University. He did not finish college because he dropped out to pursue a career in professional wrestling, which he did in 2009, according to BBC.
He fought as Husky Harris, Alex Rotunda, Duke Rotundo, and The Fiend, among others.
Along with Erick Rowan, Braun Strowman, and the late Luke Harper (as Brodie Lee), he played the wicked head of a cult called The Wyatt family in the role of Bray Wyatt.
In real life, Wyatt's grandpa Blackjack Mulligan, his father Mike Rotunda, and his younger brother Bo Dallas were all professional wrestlers.
For his part, Rotunda became a legend in his own right in the wrestling world by adopting the persona of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and harassing wrestlers and fans as "tax cheats" from Washington, DC.
His Battle With Mental Illness Was Not One in the Ring
In October 2022, at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view event, he made his long-awaited return after being dismissed by WWE in 2021. Wrestling News said that he was close to making his comeback to the WWE after missing many months due to sickness.
Wyatt went off-script last year and discussed his recovery from mental illness. He said, "I lost my career. I lost my self-confidence. I lost two people who were very, very close to me. I lost my way.
"And I got to a point where I thought that everything that I've ever done here or otherwise, it was all meaningless. Nothing I've ever did has ever mattered to anyone. And I was wrong."
He said that when he was finished feeling sorry for himself, he decided to go out into the world again. He was welcomed with phrases like "Thank you, Bray, man. When you coming back home?"
And once in a while, he said he would meet someone who was truly remarkable.
