Professional wrestling fans are familiar with the feeling: opening the newspaper or clicking a link to discover a favorite has died.
And so many times it seems as if the star died at a young age.
There have been many well-known wrestlers, and many of them have lived long lives. But it is impossible not to notice the many who have died early, some startlingly early. The causes have been many, but the results the same: an early obituary for a titan of the ring.
Most recently, Sabu, who pioneered the so-called “hardcore” style of wrestling in the 1990s, died at 60 or 61. His cause of death was not released.
A study by FiveThirtyEight in 2014 comparing the lives of well-known wrestlers with actuarial data showed that male wrestlers were significantly more likely to die young than the average man, although it drew no conclusion about why.
Though there have been many others — Eddie Guerrero, Owen Hart, several members of the Von Erich family — here are nine who made a big impression in their scripted doings on the mat and then by their early deaths.