Tributes have been paid overnight to WWE star Bray Wyatt, real name Windham Rotunda, who was passed away at the age of 36.
The news was broken by former wrestler and now WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H just before midnight Irish time.
"Just received a call from WWE Hall of Famer Mike Rotunda who informed us of the tragic news that our WWE family member for life Windham Rotunda - also known as Bray Wyatt - unexpectedly passed earlier today," he wrote.
"Our thoughts are with his family and we ask that everyone respect their privacy at this time."
Wrestling reporter Sean Ross Sapp later posted that Rotunda suffered a heart attack after previously battling Covid.
"I was given permission to reveal that earlier this year Windham Rotunda (Bray Wyatt) got Covid that exacerbated a heart issues," he wrote.
"There was a lot of positive progress towards a return and his recovery. Unfortunately today he suffered a heart attack and passed away."
Just received a call from WWE Hall of Famer Mike Rotunda who informed us of the tragic news that our WWE family member for life Windham Rotunda - also known as Bray Wyatt - unexpectedly passed earlier today. Our thoughts are with his family and we ask that everyone respect their…
— Triple H (@TripleH) August 24, 2023
Bray Wyatt passes away
Wyatt was born in May 1987 and is the son of former WWE star Mike Rotunda, who performed in the 1990s as Irwin R. Schyster (I.R.S), and the brother of Taylor Rotunda, otherwise known as Bo Dallas.
Windham and Taylor fought together as The Rotundo Brothers in their early pro wrestling days, with the former going on to perform under a number of names including Husky Harris and The Fiend.
It was as Bray Wyatt that he would become best known, and he would go on to win take the WWE Championship in Feburary 2017, by winning an Elimination Chamber Match which featured AJ Styles, Baron Corbin, Dean Ambrose and The Miz.
I was given permission to reveal that earlier this year Windham Rotunda (Bray Wyatt) got COVID that exacerbated a heart issues.
There was a lot of positive progress towards a return and his recovery. Unfortunately today he suffered a heart attack and passed away.— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) August 25, 2023
Bray Wyatt tributes
A number of wrestling stars shared their shock when the news of Wyatt's death broke, with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson posting that he was 'heartbroken'.
Alexa Bliss called Wyatt an 'amazing human being,' while Mick Foley said he was 'terribly sad at the awful news'.
A number of wrestling fans and performers referenced their shock at Wyatt's passing coming so soon after the death of WWE legend Terry Funk, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 79.
