WWE Hall of Famer George “The Animal” Steele Passes Away at 79 Years of Age
George “The Animal” Steele, a popular WWE wrestler in the 1970s and 1980s that was inducted into WWE’s Hall of Fame in 1995, has passed away at age 79. The cause of death was kidney failure. His real name was Jim Myers.
Steele was one of the most popular characters in WWE during his prime. He was known for having a bald head, a lot of body hair and his trademark comedy move was eating the turnbuckles.
Steele also played a role in one of the best WWE matches ever at WrestleMania 3 when he watched Ricky Steamboat’s back against Randy Savage, which led to Steamboat winning the Intercontinental Title thanks to Steele’s help.
BREAKING: WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer George “The Animal” Steele has passed away at age of 79. https://t.co/TTCUVMDtTUpic.twitter.com/AeEcohPCRe
— WWE (@WWE) February 17, 2017
https://twitter.com/ess316/status/832609321196351489
George"the Animal"Steel,RIP my brother,only love,only grateful. HH
— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) February 17, 2017
Got the privilege of traveling the world with George 'The Animal' Steele and enjoyed every minute of it. RIP my friend. pic.twitter.com/UnbhTaY9Qt
— John Layfield (@JCLayfield) February 17, 2017
A fond memory of Steele that I’ll always have is this action figure. As a kid, I had so many of them and this one always stood out. I can remember thinking it was so cool that he had his tongue sticking out. I also used to draw on his head a lot too. Good memories. Thanks George.
On behalf of everybody at TJRWrestling, we send our condolences to his family, friends and fans around the world.