WWE Hall of Famer ‘Superstar’ Billy Graham dies at 79
Global News
Billy Graham, often considered a pioneer in the modern world of professional wrestling, died after a years-long struggle with various health issues.
The much-beloved World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Hall of Famer ‘Superstar’ Billy Graham has died after a years-long struggle with various health issues. He was 79.
WWE shared news of Graham’s death on Thursday.
“A former WWE Champion, Graham’s flashy fashion style, over-the-top interviews and bodybuilder physique created the archetype for a generation of Superstars that followed in his footsteps,” the organization wrote.
Graham, whose real name is Eldridge Wayne Coleman, was reportedly on life support before his death. His wife Valerie shared an update to Graham’s Facebook account on Monday claiming doctors wanted to take the wrestler off life support, but she refused.
“He’s a fighter and his will is strong even if his body isn’t,” she wrote alongside a black and white photo of her and Graham.
According to a GoFundMe established in March, Graham was “dealing with a myriad of very serious health issues: a major infection in his ears and skull that may take six months of intravenous IVs, congestive heart failure, diabetes, hearing loss as a result of the infection, and the list goes on.”
The funds collected — totalling nearly US$22,000 as of this writing — were to be used for Graham’s recovery, as his insurance allegedly only paid for a portion of the rehab and treatment he’d been receiving in hospital.
