WWE legend Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, who had been battling stomach cancer, died Sunday. He was 73.
Snuka’s daughter shared the news of her father’s passing on Instagram, captioning the image of her holding her father’s hand with, “I LOVE YOU DAD #FOREVERMYDAD #RestWell#FamiliesAreForever #BestDad#SnukaLegacy.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPS-dZ8Bt6D/
WWE offered Snuka’s family condolences, saying in a statement: “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.”
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson also took to Twitter to post the tragic news. It was not immediately clear whether Snuka died from his stomach cancer.
Our family @TaminaSnuka asked me to share the sad news that her dad Jimmy Snuka has just passed away. Alofa atu i le aiga atoa. #RIPSuperfly
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) January 15, 2017
Snuka went by the name “Superfly” and was a Fijian professional wrestler and actor. Born in 1943, Snuka wrestled from the 1970s to 2010, and he was a part of WWE from the early to mid-1980s. He was inducted into the WWF (now WWE) Hall of Fame in 1996 and was also the first WrestleMania opponent of The Undertaker.
In August 2015, Snuka’s wife, Carole, announced that he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Following his arrest just two years ago for the 1983 death of his then-girlfriend Nancy Argentino (his charges were dismissed just 11 days ago), his attorney William E. Moore told reporters Snuka suffered from dementia which a judge ruled made him mentally unfit to stand trial.
Argentino was discovered in a hotel room near Allentown, Pennsylvania, lying on her back on a bed unconscious and showing indications of a head injury and shock. Emergency procedures were taken but she never regained consciousness and was later pronounced dead. Snuka and two other wrestlers were also at the scene.
An autopsy concluded that Argentino’s death was due to craniocerebral injuries, “the pattern of which is consistent with a moving head striking a stationary object.”
In December, it was announced Snuka only had six months to live.
A representative for Snuka has not yet responded to TheWrap’s request for comment.