Leon White was best known to WWE fans as Vader and it's been confirmed today that he passed away on Monday night, aged 63. He began his wrestling career in the mid-80s after retiring from the NFL. He later found fame as part of Verne Gagne’s American Wrestling Association before donning a mask and taking on his Vader moniker as part of the popular New Japan Pro Wrestling promotion.
From there, Vader made the leap to WCW and it was there he arguably made the biggest impact in his wrestling career. Feuding with the likes of Sting and Ron Simmons, he went on to become a three-time WCW World Champion. It was in 1996 that he joined the WWE roster and he had matches with Superstars like Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker before returning to the indies.
He's since made sporadic appearances in WWE and has remained a popular wrestler in the eyes of fans ever since. Needless to say, our thoughts go out to his family at this difficult time.