William Moody, the man who played pro wrestling character Paul Bearer, died at the age of 58 on Tuesday, according to NPR. Paul Bearer was the manager for The Undertaker and Kane.
World Wrestling Entertainment announced Moody’s death on Tuesday, but no details of his death were released. According to The Baltimore Sun, Moody recently canceled multiple events.
“WWE is saddened to learn of the passing of William Moody, aka Paul Bearer,” the WWE’s website read on Tuesday night. “Moody made his WWE debut in 1991 as the manager of The Undertaker and went on to become a memorable part of WWE over the course of the next 20 years. Our deepest condolences go out to Moody’s family, friends and fans.”
On Twitter, Shawn Michaels said, “I’m so sorry to hear of the passing of Paul Bearer. Our prayers go out to him and his family. God Bless!!”
Diamond Dallas Page tweeted: “Sad to hear of the passing of Bill Moody (Paul Bearer)… Not a nicer man in the biz. RIP bro.”
And Triple H said: “Rest in peace, Paul Bearer. You will never be forgotten. There will never be another. #PaulBearer.”
Moody joined the WWE in 1990. He also managed Vader, Rick Rude, and Mankind. Some reports have surfaced that Moody suffered from morbid obesity and gallbladder problems over the past 10 years. In real life, Moody actually was a licensed funeral director and embalmer.
One his website, Percypringle.com, Moody wrote on his biography page: “My lifetime interest in professional wrestling began at about the time I learned to walk. I remember that my Mom and Dad would take me to the local ‘Wrestling Live On Channel 5’ studio television tapings. Needless to say, it was love at first sight.”
He began wrestling in 1974, wrestling under such names as Mr. X, the Embalmer and the Mortician prior to turning to managing wrestlers.