WWE Icon Bray Wyatt, whose real name was Windham Rotunda, has passed away at the age of 36.
The heartbreaking news was revealed by Triple H in a Twitter post. He shared, “We have just received the devastating news via a call from WWE Hall of Famer Mike Rotunda. Our cherished WWE family member, Windham Rotunda, known to the world as Bray Wyatt, has tragically left us today. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family, and we kindly request that everyone respects their privacy during this difficult 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. Our thoughts are with his family and we ask that everyone respect their…
— Triple H (@TripleH) August 24, 2023
Dwayne Johnson, popularly known as “The Rock,” also took to Twitter to express his condolences. He wrote, “I’ve always held tremendous respect and affection for him and the Rotunda family. I admired his presence, his promos, his work inside the ring, and the profound connection he had with the @WWE universe. He was a truly unique, cool, and rare character, which is a challenge to create in the dynamic world of professional wrestling.”
Im heartbroken over the news of Bray Wyatt’s passing. Always had tremendous respect and love for him and the Rotunda family. Loved his presence, promos, in ring work and connection with @wwe universe.
Very unique, cool and rare character, which is hard to create in our crazy… pic.twitter.com/i9zlbJIOL3— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) August 24, 2023
Windham Rotunda came from a lineage of professional wrestlers, including his grandfather, Blackjack Mulligan, his father, Mike Rotunda, and his younger brother, Bo Dallas. He made his in-ring debut in February 2009, later making his television debut in June of the same year. Between 2013 and 2019, Rotunda led WWE’s famed Wyatt Family, captivating audiences as he entered arenas with a lantern to illuminate his path, often accompanied by the crowd chanting his iconic catchphrase, “follow the buzzards.”
Rotunda’s creative genius led to the birth of the alter ego, Bray Wyatt, and in 2022, he introduced another character, Uncle Howdy, reportedly inspired by a character of the same name from the 1983 film “Hysterical.”
Windham Rotunda is survived by his four children.