Former WWE champion Bray Wyatt dies at 36

Rotunda's family said that he died from a heart attack, according to Fightful.com's Sean Ross Sapp. He had been dealing with complications from COVID-19, which he contracted in February.

Rotunda was a third-generation wrestler and was well-known as the son of Mike Rotunda, who wrestled as Irwin R. Schyster ("I.R.S.") in WWE. His uncle, Barry Windham, was a member of the iconic "Four Horsemen" stable with Ric Flair. 

As a performer, Rotunda's best-known character was Wyatt, whose initial appearance in WWE's developmental show NXT seemed inspired by Robert DeNiro's role as Max Cady in the 1991 film "Cape Fear." Known as a compelling talker on the microphone, Rotunda eventually made his way to the main shows Raw and SmackDown, making a few creative changes to the Wyatt character in his first stint with WWE. On separate occasions, Rotunda won WWE's top two men's championships before his July 2021 release. He was rehired in October 2022 in one of the more celebrated returns in WWE history. 

Prior to joining the family business, Rotunda played college football at Troy University. The school reposted a viral 2020 promo featuring him speaking as Wyatt in hyping up his alma mater:

Rotunda's last appearance as a performer took place in January during the company's Royal Rumble premium live event. His death is the second in as many days to affect the WWE family, coming one day after the death of Hall of Fame wrestler Terry Funk.