Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka, WWE Legend, Dead at 73

Hall of Famer who'd faced murder charges lost his battle with cancer
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 15, 2017 3:28 PM CST

Less than two weeks after a judge dismissed murder charges against him in a 30-year-plus case, a WWE legend has died. Hall of Famer Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka passed away at the age of 73, TMZ reports, with former WWE star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson confirming his death on Twitter with a message in Samoan that means "family is forever" and the hashtag #RIPSuperfly. Meanwhile, Snuka's daughter Tamina, also a professional wrestler, posted a picture on Instagram that appeared to show her holding her dad's hand, with the caption, "I LOVE YOU DAD." Snuka, who had terminal stomach cancer and dementia, had been in hospice care since last year, Fox Sports reports.

The wrestler was raised in Hawaii and started getting down on the mat in the '70s, hooking up with what was then known as the World Wrestling Federation (eventually renamed World Wrestling Entertainment) in 1982, per the New York Daily News. He ascended into the WWE's Hall of Fame in 1996. Snuka was arrested in 2015 in connection with the 1983 death of his girlfriend, Nancy Argentino, after what her family has said was a tumultuous, violent relationship, per the Daily Beast. The WWE remembered Snuka in a statement on its website Sunday, paying tribute to his signature "Superfly Splash" off the top rope of the wrestling ring and sending condolences to his family and friends. (More obituary stories.)

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