The professional wrestling world was dealt a shocking and saddening blow Thursday when WWE announced Windham Rotunda, aka Bray Wyatt, died suddenly at the age of 36.

WWE chief content officer Paul Levesque (Triple H) announced the heartbreaking news on X, formerly known as Twitter, relaying a message from the former world champion’s father.

“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 privacy at the time.”

According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com, Rotunda suffered a heart attack Thursday.

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“I was given permission to reveal that earlier this year Windham Rotunda (Bray Wyatt) got COVID that exacerbated a heart issue,” Sapp reported on X. “There was a lot of positive progress towards a return and his recovery. Unfortunately (Thursday) he suffered a heart attack and passed away.”

Rotunda was in and out of the ring for a large chunk of his WWE career largely because of injuries and health issues. When active, though, he was one of the company’s most captivating and creative performers.

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Rotunda’s sudden passing led to an outpouring of love and support for him and his family with tributes from across the wrestling world. Even AEW, WWE’s primary rival, released a statement, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson also posted a tribute to Rotunda.

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