Macho Man dies in car accident

ENTERTAINMENT - Randall Mario Poffo, aka Randy Savage, aka the Macho Man, the legendary professional wrestler known for his deep raspy voice, sunglasses and bandannas, has died in a car accident earlier yesterday (May 20th) when his car went across oncoming traffic and collided head-on with a tree in Florida. He was 58.

Police believe he may have suffered a heart attack or stroke, causing him to lose control of the car. Officials need to perform an autopsy to know for sure.

A woman in the vehicle, Barbara L. Poffo, 56, Randy Savage's current wife, suffered minor injuries. Both were wearing their seatbelts.

“Poffo will be greatly missed by WWE and his fans,” said a statement from the WWE. “Our sincerest condolences go out to his family and friends. We wish a speedy recovery to his wife Lynn."

At 6'2" and 237 pounds, Randy Savage was a charismatic wrestler known for his “Oooh Yeah!” catchphrase. He was a champion wrestler in Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation, and later Ted Turner's now-defunct World Championship Wrestling. He wore the championship belts many times during his career. He had retired from wrestling in 2004.

For much of his career, his manager/companion was Miss Elizabeth. Elizabeth Hulette was his real-life wife, but they later divorced, and Hulette died in 2003 at 42 in a prescription drug overdose. Many performers in the WWE die young, even those not wrestling.

To name a few...
Curt (Mr. Perfect) Hennig, died of a cocaine overdose in 2003 at 44.
Chris Benoit, killed his wife and son and then committed suicide in 2007, age 40.

Randy Savage was known for his flying elbow off the top rope move, often mimicked by amateur wrestlers everywhere. He was also known for his rivalries and friendships with Hulk Hogan, Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair.

Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson calls Randy Savage as one of his childhood inspirations and heroes, while Mick (Cactus Jack) Foley says Savage was “one of my favourite performers.”

“He had so much life in his eyes & in his spirit, I just pray that he's happy and in a better place and we miss him,” Hulk Hogan writes.

Note: The WWF changed their name to WWE years ago after losing a lawsuit from the World Wildlife Foundation.

Before becoming a wrestler, Randy Savage was a minor league catcher in the 1970s for St. Louis and Cincinnati. His father, Angelo Poffo, was a longtime wrestler, and his brother, (Leaping) Lanny Poffo, was also a 1980s WWF favourite.

During and after his wrestling career Macho Man appeared in a number of TV shows and films, including Walker Texas Ranger, The Weird Al Show, Baywatch, and the 2002 film Spider-Man as the wrestler Bonesaw McGraw. He also did voice acting for a variety of animated shows including Family Guy and King of the Hill.