WWE Rowdy Roddy Piper Dead At 61

Roddy Toombs, best known for portraying “Rowdy” Roddy Piper in both the former WWF and WCW, is dead at the age of 61 according to a TMZ report. The moniker stuck, and when coupled with his background as an amateur boxer, he quickly developed a reputation as a man not to be messed with – a trait that made him a natural heel. During the 1970s, he'd work as a villain in several territories, including the AWA and NWA, had memorable feuds with the likes of Chavo Guerrero Sr. and Ric Flair and had a tremendous impact on a wrestling fan named Rick Rubin, who'd later credit Piper's smack-talking bad guy character as a major influence on the Beastie Boys.In addition to his toughness, Piper's quick with also made him a standout, and despite his heelish tendencies within the ring, he slowly earned a legion of fans. In the mid-Eighties, his notoriety earned him a spot in WWE, where he donned a kilt and quickly became one of the promotion's top villains, Piper had a long relationship with WWE -- last wrestling back in 2008 ... but appeared on various WWE shows up until 2014. Roddy is survived by his wife Kitty and their 4 kids -- including 3 daughters and son Colton who's pursuing a career in professional wrestling. The death is especially shocking considering we just spoke to him on Friday and asked his opinion about the Hulk Hogan scandal.