-
Nov 14, 2005 6:05 pm US/Central
-
Digg |
Facebook |
E-mail
|
Print
WWE Wrestler Found Dead In Minneapolis
Minneapolis (WCCO) ―
World Wrestling Entertainment wrestler Eddie Guerrero was found dead in his hotel room in Minneapolis Sunday morning, police said.
Guerrero, 38, was found in his room at the Marriott City Center in downtown Minneapolis. He was in town for Sunday night's "WWE Supershow" TV taping at Target Center.
Police were called to the hotel just after 7:30 a.m. and attempts were made to revive the wrestler, Minneapolis Police Department spokesperson Ron Reier said.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner will perform an autopsy Monday to determine the cause of death. It could be several weeks before autopsy results are released.
Police do not believe foul play was involved.
Chavo Guerrero, Jr., Guerrero's nephew and a fellow WWE wrestler, said he and his uncle flew in together Saturday night and were supposed to meet for breakfast Sunday morning.
When Guerrero did not respond to a wake-up call, security was called to open his room, Chavo Guerrero, Jr. said.
"I pulled him out and turned him over and said 'Hey, something is not right,'" Chavo Guerrero, Jr. said. "I called 911, started CPR and that's it."
WWE Chair Vince McMahon said Sunday's "Supershow" taping was turned into a four-hour tribute to Guerrero, who was a featured star on the UPN series "WWE Smackdown!" The tributes will air this week.
"Eddie was a giving, wonderful, loving, fun-loving human being who had so much to give," McMahon said.
Guerrero's on-air nemesis, John Bradshaw Layfield, said Guerrero was popular because he was personable and exuded an energy that drew fans into the match.
"Eddie was as passionate as anybody I've ever seen," Layfield said. Despite the on-air feud between the two men, Layfield said he and Guerrero were good friends -- Guerrero was a groomsman in Layfield's wedding.
"He was probably the greatest performer I've ever been in the ring with ... it was like being out there with electricity. It was intoxicating," Layfield said.
All performers were given the option of not performing Sunday night, but all opted to perform, including Chavo Guerrero, Jr. He said it's what his uncle would have wanted.
Eddie Guerrero had recently celebrated his fourth year of sobriety, WWE officials said.
The wrestler's struggles with alcohol and drug addiction were detailed in the DVD "Cheating Death, Stealing Life," released last year. An autobiography of the same name was due in bookstores this December, according to Simon & Schuster's Web site.
"My body was hurting, that is when I started taking pain pills," Guerrero said in the documentary.
Friends were also worried about Guerrero.
"I also didn't want to be one of those guys who finds out the next morning that my friend, Eddie Guerrero, was you know, in a hotel room, dead," wrestler Dean Malenko said in 2004.
Son of legendary Mexican wrestler Gory Guerrero, Eddie Guerrero has also wrestled with World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling, among other federations.
Guerrero grew up in El Paso, Texas and had recently moved to Phoenix, Ariz. World Wrestling Entertainment said he is survived by his wife, Vickie; and daughters Shaul, 14; Sherilyn, 9; and Kaylie Marie, 3.
Guerrero's body will be flown to Phoenix following the autopsy, WWE said. A funeral is planned for Wednesday in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Last year, a writer for USA Today put together a story about the high death rate in pro wrestling. A medical examiner said wrestlers' death rates are about seven times higher than the general U.S. population.
Wrestlers are 12 times more likely to die from heart disease than other Americans ages 25 to 44. The newspaper's research showed wrestlers are also about 20 times more likely to die before age 45 than pro football players.
WCCO-TV, WCCO.COM, UPN and Simon & Schuster are Viacom properties.
(© 2005 CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)