Roddy Piper

“Rowdy” Roddy Piper, the kilt wearing trash-talker who headlined the first WrestleMania and later found movie stardom, died Friday. He was 61.

Piper, born Roderick Toombs in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is the second WWE Hall of Famer to die this summer, following the June death of Dusty Rhodes. Piper’s death also comes days after Hulk Hogan, his biggest rival for decades, was fired by the WWE for using racial slurs in a conversation captured on a sex tape.

Piper and Hogan battled for years and headlined some of the biggest matches during the 1980s. Hogan and Mr. T beat Piper and Paul Orndorff on March 31, 1985, at the first WrestleMania at Madison Square Garden.

Piper was a villain for the early portion of his career, once cracking a coconut over the skull of Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka. He hosted a popular WWF talk show segment called “Piper’s Pit” in the 1980s and later starred in the movie “They Live.”

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon called Piper “one of the most entertaining, controversial and bombastic performers ever in WWE, beloved by millions of fans around the world.”

Piper’s son, Colt Toombs, posted to Twitter: “My father (at)R_Roddy_Piper was a great man and my best friend I will miss him forever and will always try to be the man he raised me to be.”

Piper also went by the nickname “Hot Rod” during his career. Although he was Canadian, he often appeared in a kilt and came to the ring blowing bagpipes in a nod to his Scottish heritage.

Piper was best known for his lengthy career with the World Wrestling Federation, now the WWE. He had more than 30 titles to his name and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame 2005.

“Saddened about the passing of ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper,” tweeted Paul “Triple H” Levesque, a wrestler and top WWE executive. “He was truly a legend and icon, and will never be forgotten.”