WWE legend Leon White, more commonly known as Vader, has reportedly passed away at the age of 63. According to social media posts by Vader's son, Jessie White, the former WWE star passed away on Monday night at approximately 7:25pm.
"Around a month ago my father was diagnosed with a severe case of Pneumonia. He fought extremely hard and clinically was making progress. Unfortunately, on Monday night his heart had enough and it was his time."
In November 2016, Vader had sent out a tweet revealing that he only had two years to live.
Vader's wrestling career began in the mid-80s, after injuries forced him to retire from the NFL following a two-year stint as a center for the Los Angeles Rams. According to WWE, Vader rose to national prominence in Verne Gagne’s American Wrestling Association, before joining New Japan Pro Wrestling as the masked "Big Van Vader."
He later returned to the United States on the WCW roster, where he cemented his legacy as a pro wrestling legend, becoming a dominant, three-time WCW World Champion in the process. In 1996, Vader transitioned to the WWE roster, where he squared off against Superstars such as Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. He was also featured in a recurring guest role on the popular tv show, “Boy Meets World.”
Check out some of the reactions from around the wrestling community in the tweets embedded below.
https://twitter.com/_/status/1009457040526401541
https://twitter.com/_/status/1009457290519379973
https://twitter.com/_/status/1009456490640560130
https://twitter.com/_/status/1009458280480034816
https://twitter.com/_/status/1009454278673608704
https://twitter.com/_/status/1009461071369949185
https://twitter.com/_/status/1009462807866298368