However, there was , Weve profiled 40 wrestlers who sadly, didnt make it to see age 40, including many enhancement talent names of the , Heart Attack / Heart Failure / Heart Disease, Comprehensive Deceased Wrestlers List (text-only), Comprehensive Deceased Managers List (text-only), 8 Things You May Not Have Known About Rick Rude. Ive already come this far, Hughes said. Although he only had one number one song, Buddy Holly influenced countless music legends. Health officials have not linked Dave's Sushi to Lewis' death. Determined to see the Winter Dance Party through and keep his promise, Jennings performed songs for another two weeks and missed Hollys funeral at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas on Feb. 7, 1959. (PDF). . At Survivor Series on November 18, 2001, Holly took part in a battle royal that would guarantee the winner immunity from being fired that was won by Test. [2] This meant that the title was permanently contested, not just in sanctioned matches, and could change hands anywhere, anytime anyone pinned the champion, so long as a WWF referee counted the fall. In October of 2000, Yokozuna died at the age of 34 due to fluid blockage in his lungs. Pregnant with Hollys unborn child, Mara Elena Holly suffered a miscarriage after learning of Buddy Hollys plane crash on the news the next day. [21] He even lost, and quickly regained, the title against one of the Godfather's hos. [36] His death, caused by choking on his own vomit, was officially ruled a suicide. [12] Following his stint in ECW, Lockwood returned to APW where he performed until October 1998. Although it was primarily intended for comic relief, the character still seemed to beover. Initial reports of toxicology, after his . Jennings, who died in 2002 at age 64, was haunted by his decision for years to come. What was the cause of Buddy Holly's death? A staff writer for All That's Interesting, Kaleena Fraga has also had her work featured in The Washington Post and Gastro Obscura, and she published a book on the Seattle food scene for the Eat Like A Local series. Michael John Lockwood (August 25, 1971 - November 6, 2003) was an American professional wrestler. The number to call is (347) 884-8452. Pilot Roger Peterson also died in the crash. She was just 30 years old. When it comes to impact on the nascent genre of rock and roll, Buddy Hollys influence is nearly insurmountable. The weekend before his death, he teamed with his then-16 year old son Harry Smith. Crash Hollys grave at West Lawn Memorial Park in China Grove, NC. In 2006, he returned to the WWE with a completely different look, now known as Umaga. He was 34 years old. His second go-around with the WWE, as Umaga, was a far more successful venture, with the big man taking main event status and even scoring a PPV win over Ric Flair and winning the Intercontinental Championship twice. The second came in 2009 and, just a few short months later, he was found dead as a result of a lethal mix of painkillers, muscle relaxers, and anti-anxiety medication. But although she died young, Cline definitely left her mark on country music. [37] At ECW One Night Stand in 2005, Lockwood was one of the deceased former ECW wrestlers honored in a video package.[38]. From the start, Crash Holly brought fun to the ring. This article pays tribute to wrestlers that died under 40. At the time, Cline was just 28 years old, but she seemed to have an eerie sense of what was to come. The WWE had known Benoit, his wife, and child were all pronounced dead, but didn't have the details of how or why - then they came out. After the autopsy, the doctors attributed the cause of his death to arteriosclerotic heart disease. Matt Osborne was best known for portraying Doink the Clown, the evil clown who tormented his rivals such as Bret Hart, Randy Savage, and, most famously, Crush. He apparently fell out of favor during his time with the WWE because of his heavy drinking and gambling debts and was let go in 1995. On February 3, 1959, rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper (aka J.P. Richardson) and pilot Roger Peterson were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake after. Before Patsy Clines death, she wondered how she could possibly top her successes of 1962, when she had been named Top Country Female Singer by the music vendors of America and Music Reporter dubbed her Star of the Year., Its wonderful, Cline wrote to a friend. The Raw tribute show was replaced by a best-of episode on the WWE Network. The talented, but troubled athlete was never honored by WWE. In 2009, he along with his brothers David, Kevin, Mike, and Chris, and his father Fritz, was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Clines songs Walkin After Midnight and I Fall To Pieces were chart-toppers. Buddy Hollys death became known as the day the music died., the satanic legend of blues musician Robert Johnson. From Elton John and Bruce Springsteen to Mick Jagger and The Clash, Buddy Holly inspired a litany of incoming icons, an Oscar-winning film, and one of the greatest American rock and roll songs of all time. Holly was frequently attacked by other wrestlers in unlikely locations, including an airport, a funhouse, a circus, and his hotel room. By the time Patsy Cline died in 1963, she had made a name for herself as a country music staple. Trevor Murdoch and Cade formed a tag team where they posed a threat to D-Generation X. The acquisition brought many big name WCWwrestlers to the WWF and basically eliminated Crash Hollys hopes of returning to the spotlight. Wikimedia CommonsAlthough he only had one number one song, Buddy Holly influenced countless music legends. Flying blind, he entered a graveyard spiral and accelerated straight downward. An autopsy was performed last Thursday, but the coroner's office needs to receive toxicology reports before confirming a cause . He was 32 when he committed suicide. Let's not include any reference to Fox. In 1997, Dude Love and Pillman were scheduled to wrestle when the news came that Pillman was found dead at his hotel. Cade suffered from a heart condition and died at the age of 29 after a complication leading to cardiomyopathy. Candido was a crafty, and an all-rounder performer. The bus often broken down, stranding them on the side of the road to endure Midwest winter temperatures until help arrived. [2] He was 32 years old. The third one will either be a charm or itll kill me.. [11] Erin O'Grady lost four untelevised matches in ECW, including a dark match at November to Remember. He was best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) / World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 1999 to 2003 under the ring names Crash Holly or simply Crash. He holds dual bachelor's degrees from Pace University and a master's degree from New York University. The van fell into a creek. As the youngest of four children, Holly relied on his brothers to teach him the guitar. As many of us know, professional wrestling is a very tough sport. The tour began on January 23 in Milwaukee during one of the coldest winters on record. He was found partially clothed with a pool of vomit around his face. The New York Times critic Robert Shelton raved about Clines convincing way with heart songs.'. Later, he participated in ECW, WCW, and WWF in the 1990s. [9], Lockwood was born on August 25, 1971, in San Francisco, California. Earlier, Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff was informed that a Raw wrestler would leave to reunite with a relative on SmackDown!, and ordered a beatdown by 3-Minute Warning on Hardy, who he wrongly suspected of planning to join his brother, Matt Hardy, until Crash revealed that he was the one who was leaving, planning to join his cousin Hardcore Holly on SmackDown!. Crash Holly's grave at West Lawn Memorial Park in China Grove, NC. Departing the airport shortly before 1:00 a.m., the plane crashed mere miles after takeoff. Of all the ill-timed deaths on this list, that of Dino Bravo has to be the most bizarre and strange. YouTubePatsy Cline singing I Fall To Pieces on February 23, 1963, a few weeks before her death. Although Crash Holly had fans in the WWF, 2003 saw a number of new wrestlers entering the line-up. Buddy Hollys death became known as the day the music died., While it would take another 12 years for Don McLean to record American Pie, the melancholy epic chronicled the tragedy for generations and officially inscribed Feb. 3, 1959, as the day the music died. McLean would describe it as a morality song documenting that things are heading in the wrong direction.. In 1993, going deeper into depression due to a number of factors, he committed suicide at the age of 33. The height of his career in WCW was becoming one-half of the WCW World Tag Team Champions with "Stunning" Steve Austin, known as the Hollywood Blondes. [24] He jumped ship to SmackDown! photo: wwe.com. Copyright 2019 Las Vegas Review-Journal, Inc. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service. He pushed the idea in the media that the WWE fired him because he was gay, but eventually conceded that it was all a publicity stunt. Meanwhile, bassist Waylon Jennings was gracious enough to give his spot to Richardson, who was suffering from the flu. Limited capacity left bandmates to argue over who would get a seat, with Valens and guitarist Tommy Allsup flipping a coin to decide. After undergoing surgery for a broken tibia and fibula in his leg, Candido fell ill months later and died shortly after as a result of blood clots. He was buried in China Grove in Rowan County, North Carolina. Their relationship was a strained one, and Hardcore frequently threatened Crash. Mildred KeithA Kansas City resident named Mildred Keith snapped what is believed to be one of the last photographs of the country music star. She matched lipstick with pants and cowboy boots, and became the first woman to wear pants on stage at the Grand Ole Opry. He has also wrestled as Mad Mikey and The Green Ghost. Within a few months, however, he and The Crickets independently recorded Thatll Be the Day, which topped the Best Sellers in Stores chart by September. A lot of it can be attributed to fatal injuries, drug addiction, and other such factors. Not so. As Crash was Moore's alleged apprentice, Hardy also referred to him as a "Moore-on". [10] He wrestled in Monterrey for three months, under a mask, as "The Green Ghost" (a play on the word "gringo"). Shortly before the Badd Blood pay-per-view, Vince McMahon announced that Brian Pillman was found dead in his hotel room earlier that day. Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson were famously killed in a plane crash on Feb. 3, 1959, which Don McLean dubbed "The Day the Music Died" in the 1971 classic "American Pie" His problems became worse in 2009 when he was arrested for choking his girlfriend; two years later he was arrested on battery charges. He achieved moderate success in the WWE, winning the WCW United States Championship and the WWE Tag Team Championship with DDP for a brief 12-day stint. Inside The Plane Crash That Killed A Country Music Icon. Sadly, he passed away in May of 2002 at the age of 39. "TNA Entertainment is deeply saddened to report that Michael Lockwood, also known as Mad Mikey and Crash Holly, passed away on Thursday. Along with Hardcore Holly, Crash won the WWF Tag Team Championship in 1999. The fans loved him for his skills and foxiness which enabled him to come out of impossible situations unharmed. While fighting a match in TNA Impact Wrestling against Sonny Siaki and Apolo, Candido fractured his fibula and tibia. WWE released a statement in response to his death, wishing his family and friends well, but made sure to distance themselves from the troubled star. [34] They married on New Year's Eve, 1999. He died at 34. By 1958, it was clear that Holly and The Crickets needed to part ways. Michael Lockwood or Crash Holly as he would later become known was born on August 25, 1971 in Anaheim, California. The case was since picked up by Kyros Law, a firm representing numerous retired wrestlers in a head injury lawsuits against the WWE. On May 23, 1999, while portraying the "Blue Blazer" character, his stunt to come down from the rafters was botched, and he fell nearly eighty feet onto the top rope of the ring near a turnbuckle. Harry Hammond/V&A Images/Getty ImagesBuddy Holly was 22 years old when he died. Patsy Cline didnt live to see what she could do for 1963. [21] This turned him into a crowd favorite and earned him the nickname "The Houdini of Hardcore". In August 2005, Nora Greenwald, who performed alongside Lockwood as Molly Holly, released an autobiographical DVD titled "Nora Greenwald: Shootin' the Shi Crap", and a portion of the profits from the sale of the DVD went to Lockwood's daughter's education fund. Lockwood joined the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion in November 1997 after ECW wrestler Taz viewed a tape of a match between O'Grady and Michael Modest and referred him to ECW owner Paul Heyman. Crash Hollys family laid him to rest in China Grove in West Central, North Carolina. Every hardcore match involving him kept your eyes glued and your stomach aching from laughter. Shortly before Patsy Clines death in a grisly plane crash, the country music star made an eerie prediction. The presence of drugs and alcohol were found in his bloodstream, but his death certificate noted morbid obesity was a main cause of death, as well as type 2 diabetes heart damage. In 1994, he became the NWA World Heavyweight Champion at only 21 years old. Why would he die and not me?. Buddy Holly was 22 years old when he died. With his parents ardently supporting their musical household, Holly learned how to play the fiddle and piano, as well. He passed away from heart disease in 2004, but no official mention was made during WWE programming. [8] In May 2001, Holly and Hardcore briefly reunited as a lower card team until December of that year.[17]. Lockwood met his wife, Christeena Wheeler, when she escorted Mark Henry to the ring at Unforgiven 1999, in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1992, Yokozuna debuted in the WWE, and attained a meteoric rise due to his combination of size and agility. According to Jim Ross, Cade had a seizure on a plane as a result of prescription pill abuse and was subsequently released. 12,000-Year-Old Mastodon Tooth Discovered By Six-Year-Old Boy In Michigan, The Deadliest Mafia Hitmen In History And The Gruesome Stories Behind Them, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. He became popular in the WWE after turning heel on Bret Hart at the 1993 Survivor Series. He achieved great success in World Class Championship Wrestling, acquiring many championships during his short career. Osborne's battle with drug addiction came to a halt in 2013 when he was found dead of a drug overdose. Location in the United States. As a part of the gag, Crash would take a scale into the ring with him to try and prove that he could qualify to wrestle as a heavyweight. It's well known that O'Haire battled with depression and alcoholism following his release. Soon, the pretend family members were bitter enemies. The moment Patsy Clines plane crash killed her was recorded on her wristwatch which stopped at 6:20 PM, on March 5, 1963. On April 27, 2000 Crash Holly uses a trash can to help him win the Hardcore Championship and (literally) runs away with the belt on SmackDown! Throughout late 2001, he wrestled primarily on house shows and on Jakked and Sunday Night Heat. The NTSB received a letter from aviation enthusiast L.J. He formed a tag team with Molly Holly and . [1] In 2002, he opened "Crash Holly's School of Professional Wrestling" in Salisbury, North Carolina, where Wheeler grew up.[2][34]. on the September 2, 2002, episode of Raw during a match with Jeff Hardy. Well be [back in Nashville] before you know it.. The guy was born to entertain and it's a horrible shame he died so young, I would have paid good money to hear shoots from him. When the crash was discovered the next morning, searchers found a wing embedded in a tree and the engine in a six-foot hole in the ground, suggesting it had plunged head-first into the ground. A week later, Cline climbed into a tiny Piper PA-24 Comanche aircraft after a show in Kansas City, Kansas. The Rise Of A Country Music Legend By the time Patsy Cline died in 1963, she had made a name for herself as a country music staple. But Holly had tired of the arduous late-night drives and suggested flying instead. Although the Crash Holly death occurred before he could become a huge name in wrestling, his legacy lives on, and he remains well known among many fans of professional wrestling who remember his antics in the ring. The reason for his murder? Ultimately, both received contracts and were admitted to the Power Pro Wrestling training program to prepare for entry into the WWF. Sadly, both men would be dead before 2010. On November 1, 2003, Mad Mikey and Rory Fox defeated Quiten Lee and The Human Time Bomb with Ricky Steamboat as the special guest referee for the Heartland Wrestling Association in what turned out to be Lockwood's final match. Buddy Hollys death on February 3, 1959, became the day the music died. He wanted to stay in New York while the rest of the group wanted to live in their home state. In the US, he became popular in the early 1990s in WCW, becoming US Tag Team Champions with Tom Zenk, and becoming Light Heavyweight Champion as a singles competitor. The voice of the hit songs Peggy Sue and Thatll Be the Day was silenced forever. [31] On June 30, 2003, Lockwood was released from WWE.[2]. In ECW, he gained his "Loose Cannon" gimmick, transporting it to both WCW and WWE becoming a member of both the Four Horseman and the Hart Foundation, respectively. His time at Decca, however, was short-lived, and only produced two singles that failed to make an impression. It's the day the music died. All three were killed in a small plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, as they were traveling to Moorhead, Minnesota. Patsy Cline died at 6:20 pm, as marked on this watch which broke at the exact moment her plane collided with the earth. Things kick off this week with the return of the citys longest-running music festival, the rockabilly gathering Viva Las Vegas. And though he never reached the heavyweight status he desired, he did have great success in his short career, winning the WWE Hardcore Championship 22 times, albeit most of which were extremely short stints given the 24/7 rule. At the TNA Lockdown pay-per-view event in 2005, Candido competed in a tag match with Lance Hoyt vs. Apolo and Sonny Siaki. He formed a tag team with his kayfabe cousin Hardcore Holly, with whom he won the WWF World Tag Team Championship. The Buddy Holly plane crash shocked the world. We need to confirm your email address. He partnered with Mark Jindark as a tag team and started wrestling on Raw brand. Buddy Holly was buried in the Lubbock Cemetery in Texas in February 1959. After not mentioning his death on Raw, WWE gave him a short video tribute the following week, but that was the extent of their efforts to remember the man. Holly booked the four-seat aircraft to fly to Fargo, North Dakota, where he planned to finally do laundry and rest in advance of the groups next concert in nearby Moorhead, Minnesota. The official investigation by the Civil Aeronautics Board. Flickr/photolibrarianThe Buddy Holly crash site memorial near Clear Lake, Iowa. The problem was compounded by the WWFs acquisition of the WCW. She was gifted thats all.. After the Crash Holly death, a full investigation was launched. Buddy Holly and his tourmates Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson had just left the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa to the rapturous applause of 1,000 fans. Minor things, you know. On October 17, at No Mercy, the Holly Cousins defeated The New Age Outlaws by disqualification. Chris Candido was an American wrestler born on March 21, 1972. The Crash Holly death occurred shortly after his final wrestling appearance with the Heartland Wrestling Association. They include the aircrafts weight and balance calculations (for passengers, baggage and fuel), possible issues with rudder panels and possible carburetor Induction icing, Coon told CNN in an email. The WWE did honor the uber-talented Superstar during a Monday Night Raw tribute show following news of his untimely death in 2007. Dr. Bennet Omalu, who was portrayed by Will Smith in the film Concussion, found extensive brain damage as a result of repeated blows to the head, noting similarities between Martin and Chris Benoit. The Buddy Holly crash site memorial near Clear Lake, Iowa. Lockwood died on November 6, 2003, at his friend and fellow wrestler Stevie Richards' house in Florida. On February, 15, 2004 at the No Way Out pay-per-view, Guerrero finally achieved his dream of becoming WWE Champion by defeating Brock Lesnar. [23] In the course of this feud, Molly began a romantic relationship with Spike Dudley, leading to internal disputes within each family, as well as a Romeo and Juliet-style angle between the six of them. He was just 29-years-old. A return to Las Vegas remains a possibility. She also managed Sandman in the ECW before returning to WCW where she struck an on- and off-screen relationship with Chris Benoit. [2] He had a long feud with The Mean Street Posse (Pete Gas, Rodney and Joey Abs) over the title. Copyright -WWE : All World Wrestling Entertainment programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights . Eerily, she added: When its my time to go, its my time to go.. He was fired for drug-related problems in 1993, but the Doink gimmick transferred over to Ray Apollo, who played him as more of a happy-go-lucky face prankster. If you grew up watching WWE in the 1980s, you likely thought Jack Tunney was the company's president and Vince McMahon was no more than an announcer. Officially, the cause of death on the autopsy was listed as asphyxiation. While his siblings formed a tiling business upon graduating from high school, Holly spent his spare time rehearsing country songs he heard on the radio. Lockwood debuted in 1989 and spent a decade wrestling on the independent circuit before signing with the World Wrestling Federation in 1998, debuting the following year as Crash Holly. There is no certain answer as to why the wrestling star chose to take his own life; however, his wife, Nkeigh Wheeler, had recently filed for a divorce. He wrestled on nine NWA-TNA weekly PPVs, lastly on October 1. On February 3, 1959, the world lost three talented musicians in a devastating plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. In January 1959, with his new chart-topping hit dominating American airwaves, the young Texan embarked on a Midwestern string of ballroom and auditorium shows called The Winter Dance Party. [2] He dislocated his shoulder about five times and took 18 months off to recover. Patsy Cline died at the age of 30 on March 5, 1963. [18] The next night on Raw is War, they defeated the Rock 'n' Sock Connection for the WWF Tag Team Championship. Dion and the Belmonts were also on the tour, but Dion gave up his seat on the plane after hearing the $36 per-person price tag. During his 4 years with the WWF, Crash won the WWF Hardcore Champion belt 22 times. Patsy Cline may have had death on her mind, but her final days were full of life. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you. You have gotten our attention, the NTSB wrote in February, saying it would examine the information he provided, Coons email said. Patsy Cline singing I Fall To Pieces on February 23, 1963, a few weeks before her death. His death, caused by choking on his own vomit, was officially ruled a suicide. photo: wwe.com. Crash Holly Dead at 32 from an apparent suicide. Like us on Facebook. The New Breed Wrestling Association held a wrestling tournament in his honor called the Mike Lockwood Memorial Tournament that same year. Please logout and login again. He was managed by his real-life girlfriend at the time, Tammy Lynn Sytch, and the two were known as Sunny and Skip. Holly wrote all his own songs, many of which were released after his death and influenced such artists as Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney. [a] [1] [2] The event later became known as " The Day the Music Died " after singer-songwriter Don . Coming from a successful wrestling family, Eddie Guerrero had some big shoes to fill in order to continue the success of the family name. He was also an openly gay wrestler (at least, following his release from WWE) and sued the company, accusing it of denying him health care benefits following a leg injury that hurt his career. Clines distinctive singing style helped bridge the gap between pop and country music, and in 1973, Cline became the first solo female artist elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame. In July 2001, Holly appeared with the International Wrestling Association in Puerto Rico, briefly holding the IWA Hardcore Championship and IWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship. He was. [25] In his first SmackDown! He suffered an ankle injury during the match as well as fracturing his tibia and fibula. Her song Crazy, which was written by a young Willie Nelson, became one of the most played jukebox songs of all time. In the early hours on June 18, 2013, Hastings died in a single-vehicle automobile crash in his Mercedes C250 Coup. Holly chartered a plane from Dwyer Flying Service to take the group to their next show in Moorhead, Minnesota, via Fargo, North Dakota, so that they could rest and launder their clothes before the next gig. As a member of the legendary Von Erich family, and with his father Fritz being the owner of the promotion, Kerry obtained significant success in WCCW, winning the World Heavyweight Title on multiple occasions. The rockstar, born Charles Hardin Holley, died alongside his fellow band Primarily used ascomic relief, Crash Holly became somewhat of a legendduring his relatively short career in the WWF. This was because theCrash Holly death was technically caused by choking on vomit. Jennings later said that, after Holly joked with him that he hoped the bus crashed, he told Holly, I hope your ol plane crashes.. During his WWE career, he gained further popularity by being in a heated feud against the Undertaker, defeating him in a Casket Match at the 1994 Royal Rumble, and also becoming tag team champions with Owen Hart in 1995. Mostly utilized for comic relief, Crash Holly played the small-in-stature but big-in-his-mindcousinof Hardcore Holly. Unfortunately, sometimes the nature of this business can have such an effect on a wrestler that it can cause him/her to fall into a mental abyss, and make decisions accordingly, leading to an untimely death. In 1990, he debuted in the WWE, and his nickname went from the "Modern Day Warrior" as he was known in WCCW, to the "Texas Tornado." His career as a wrestler took a drastic change when he turned heel during a Light Heavyweight Title feud with Brad Armstrong. [8] In total, Holly won over 25 championship reigns in WWE. They took off around 2 pm, stopping in Dyersburg, Tennessee to refuel. During his WWF/WWE career, Holly established himself in the hardcore division by winning the WWF Hardcore Championship on 22 occasions, with many of his reigns coming during a period when the title was defended "24/7". [7] He lost the title to Regal two days later. She toured with the Johnny Cash Show in 1962 and played venues like Carnegie Hall. He gained popularity in Smokey Mountain Wrestling, having one reign as the Heavyweight Champion, and in ECW, being one third of the infamous "Triple Threat" stable with Shane Douglas and Bam Bam Bigelow. In his first appearances he would bring a scale to the ring to try and prove his 400-pound status despite the fact he was 5-foot-11 and 212 pounds. American professional wrestler (19712003), "Mike Lockwood" redirects here. He was a good friend of Austin, and his feud with Goldust was legendary. A Kansas City resident named Mildred Keith snapped what is believed to be one of the last photographs of the country music star.
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