Music: {allcanada} Professional wrestler Roddy Piper dead at 61

Friday, July 31, 2015

{allcanada} Professional wrestler Roddy Piper dead at 61

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Professional wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper has died at the age of 61, TMZ reports Friday (July 31).

The WWE legend, whose real name was Roderick George Toombs, died of cardiac arrest in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles Thursday (July 30).

Toombs had been battling Hodgkins Lymphoma in recent years. He was diagnosed with the form of cancer in 2006, but revealed he was cancer free in November 2014.

Despite being Canadian by birth, the wrestler's Scottish heritage led to the character being billed as hailing from Scotland. He was known for competing in a kilt and entering the arena to bagpipe music. Rowdy Roddy Piper was named the WWE's greatest villain of all time; he also won the WWF Intercontinental Championship in 1992 and the World Tag Team Championship with Ric Flair in 2006. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.

Piper is survived by his wife Kitty and four children — daughters Anastacia Shea, Ariel Teal and Falon Danika, and son Colton Baird, as well as one grandchild.

At the time of his death, Piper was working on developing a new podcast called "Piper's Pit" for the Earwolf Podcast Network.