WWE Legend and Hall of Famer Afa Anoa’i, known for many years as the Wild Samoan, has passed away at the age of 80 years old. Afa’s wife Lynn and his daughter Vale shared personal tributes to Afa as they also shared the tragic news of his passing. Afa had been fighting health issues for some time, as Vale went into more detail on several issues along the way and that his condition had worsened over the past month. Afa is survived by his wife Lynn and their seven children, and you can find Lynn and Vale’s full tributes below. Our thoughts are with the Anoa’i family at this difficult time.
Tribute from Vale Anoa’i
On Twitter Vale wrote, “Today, all of our lives are irreparably changed. I love you so much, Dad. More than any words could ever express. Your strength was absolutely superhuman. You fought all the way to the end, and the end was peaceful. That’s all I could have hoped for. I love you so very much.” Here’s her post in full.
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“This afternoon, just a very short time ago, I received the phone call from my mom that my beloved father, the center of my universe, passed away. My heart is so full of his pretense and strength. I got to spend the vast majority of my life right there by his side, through the best of times and the hardest of times. Thank you, Dad, for every priceless life lesson you taught me. Thank you for being someone who cared, always.
I’ve been preparing to say goodbye to my Dad since January, when he had those two heart attacks. I was prepared to say goodbye to him in March when he fell and broke his back in two places and had to have major surgery. I was prepared to say goodbye to my Dad when he had his heart valve replacement surgery. I was prepared to say goodbye to him when he was having the second back surgery. I was prepared to say goodbye to my Dad when we had to tell him the news of Uncle Sika’s passing.
For the last month, I’ve been preparing to say goodbye to my Dad, as his health declined, as he was put on hospice care, as he grew weaker and more fragile. I’ve been preparing to say goodbye to my Dad. Now I realize I’ll never have to say goodbye, because a very strong part of him will always be part of me. I love you, Dad. This is not goodbye, because I’ll never lose you. This is just the end of your lifetime on Earth. I will always love you. You will be remembered, honored, missed, and respected forever. The strongest man I’ve ever known. The 3-count comes for us all, eventually, but you fought it all the way to the end. You kicked out more times than anyone else ever has. You are forever our undisputed champion. I love you so much.
I will never have to know what it is to live without you, because I know you’re always with me. Thank you all so much for your love, respect, stories, and memories that you’ve been sharing over the last few days.”
Tribute from Lynn Anoa’i
“My heart is breaking as I share the tragic news that we lost my beloved husband, your Pops, WWE Hall of Famer, Ava ‘The Wild Samoan Anoa’i. Surrounded by an abundance of love from our family, and with God’s angels, bringing peace, love and calmness, while holding my hand, God has taken Afa home.
Afa/Pops is the strongest man that many of us have ever known and I know without any doubt that he is happily reunited with our loved ones, especially his soulmate and tag-team partner, his dear brother, Sika! I love you Honey. You fought until the end! God is good all the time. All the time God is good!”
Our thoughts are with the Anoa’i family at this difficult time.
