WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, who made a name for himself both in and out of the ring, died on Sunday, his family announced. He was 73.
The Fiji-born wrestler had been living in hospice care in Florida while battling stomach cancer and dementia over the last year, his family had said.
He was brought home from the hospital Sunday morning to be with his family shortly before his death, the family’s attorney, Robert Kirwan, told The Huffington Post.
Kirwan said his death was due to “ongoing medical problems.”
Snuka’s daughter, fellow wrestler Tamina Snuka, announced the news of her father’s death on social media Sunday by sharing a photo of what appeared to be her holding his hand.
Actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson also shared the news to his Twitter followers.
The last year of Snuka’s life had been another kind of wrestling match after he was charged in late 2015 for the 1983 death of his former girlfriend, Nancy Argentino.
Earlier this month a Pennsylvania judge dropped third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter charges against Snuka after ruling that he was incompetent to stand trial. At the time of the judge’s decision, the retired athlete was said to have just months to live.
“At the rate he’s going, at the rate he’s deteriorating, I don’t think that he’ll make it until May or June of this year,” Kirwan told HuffPost.
Addressing the past charges against Snuka on Sunday, Kirwan said that his office plans to release vindicating new information about the case “at the appropriate time.”
“There’s more to the case than we were able to say,” he said.
Snuka, who was known for his high-flying style of wrestling, was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1996.
His name was scrubbed from the site after the criminal charges were brought against him. That same treatment was given to retired wrestler Hulk Hogan after a recording of him using racist language surfaced on the web.
The WWE added its voice to the number of statements mourning Snuka’s loss. In a statement, the company memorialized his wrestling techniques.
“Snuka is regarded by many as the pioneer of high-flying offense because of his Superfly Splash from the top turnbuckle. His dive off the top of the steel cage onto Don Muraco at Madison Square Garden as hundreds of flash bulbs went off will forever live as one of the most memorable moments in WWE history.
“WWE extends its condolences to Snuka’s family, friends and fans,” they stated.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated incorrectly that Snuka was charged with first-degree murder. It was third-degree murder.
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