WWE Hall Of Famer Jimmy Snuka Dead At 73
May 18, 1943 - January 15, 2017.
WWE.com
Numerous outlets are reporting the death of WWE Hall of Famer "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka, who passed away due to stomach cancer on Sunday. He was 73.
Snuka was one of the most memorable stars of the 1980s, a larger-than-life babyface who was famous for his Superfly Splash, a jumping attack off the top rope. Though he held the NWA United States Championship and was a two-time ECW Heavyweight Champion, his greatest success came in WWE. While in the company he became a household name, spurred on by feuds with Bob Backlund and Don Muraco - in both programs, Snuka capped off major Madison Square Garden cage matches by hitting his Superfly Splash from the top of the cage.
In later years, Snuka continued to make WWE appearances. At WrestleMania VII, he became the first man to fall victim to The Undertaker at the show of shows, and he made cameo appearances throughout the late '90s and 2000s - including an appearance in the 2008 Royal Rumble. Two of Snuka's children - James (Sim) and Sarona (Tamina) - have also competed in WWE.
For the past couple of years, Snuka's name has been in the news for less auspicious reasons. In August of 2015, Snuka was diagnosed with stomach cancer, and the next month - and after years of rumored involvement in the crime - Snuka was arrested for the murder of his girlfriend, Nancy Argentino, in 1983. Snuka plead not guilty to the crime initially, but his lawyers then argued that years of head trauma had rendered him unfit for prosecution.
In June of 2016, Judge Kelly Banach declared that Snuka was not fit to stand trial and the case would be reevaluated in six months. On January 3, Banach dismissed all charges against Snuka, who was then in hospice care.
