WWE wrestling legend Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka has died at age 73 according to his daughter, Tamina Snuka. For the last several months, Snuka had been living in hospice care and was told in late 2016 he’d only have a few months to live.
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Tamina shared the news with her fans on Instagram with the above photo, captioned “I LOVE YOU DAD #FOREVERMYDAD #RestWell #FamiliesAreForever #BestDad #SnukaLegacy.”
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson also shared his condolences about the wrestling legend, posting the following tweet:
Our family @TaminaSnuka asked me to share the sad news that her dad Jimmy Snuka has just passed away. Alofa atu i le aiga atoa. #RIPSuperfly
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) January 15, 2017
The wrestler was recently ruled to be “unfit” to stand trial for the murder of his girlfriend due to the amount of blows to the head he took over the years, leading to dementia.
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Throughout his career, Snuka wrestled for many different wrestling leagues, but it was his time with the WWF in the early and mid-’80s that made him the wrestling icon he was known as, helping usher in the high-flying style of wrestling.
One of Snuka’s most famous matches was against The Undertaker at WrestleMania VII, which began the villainous athlete’s impressive undefeated streak at the annual event.
Over at ECW, Snuka became the inaugural ECW Heavyweight Champion, a title he held twice.
Snuka’s children, Jimmy Reiher, Jr. and Tamina Snuka, are also professional wrestlers.
In 1996, Snuka was inducted into the WWE’s Hall of Fame due to all of his accomplishments.
Despite his accomplishments in the ring, the man behind “Superfly” became heavily tied to controversy in the aftermath of his girlfriend’s murder in 1983. Nancy Argentino died from suspicious injuries that implied the potential for domestic violence, but at the time, there wasn’t enough evidence to charge anyone, even with Snuka being the prime suspect.
In September 2015, Snuka was charged with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter from the incident. Snuka pleaded not guilty to the charges, but his poor mental and physical health made him unable to stand trial.
Ultimately, it was the stomach cancer he was diagnosed with in August 2015 that led to his death.
MORE NEWS: WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Snuka Given Six Months To Live / Jimmy Snuka Ruled Not Competent To Stand Trial
[H/T The Mirror]
