Reports are coming in that Joe Laurinaitis, better known as Road Warrior Animal, has sadly passed away at the age of 60. No cause of death has been revealed, but the news was confirmed by Animal's official Twitter account, and that was followed up by a statement from WWE.
Along with his late partner Hawk (Michael Hegstrand), Animal was part of one of the most well known, feared and dominant tag teams in pro-wrestling history, The Road Warriors (known as Legion of Doom in WWE). They competed all over the world in every major promotion, and are widely considered to be one of the greatest teams of all time.
Hawk and Animal became so popular that the term “Road Warrior pop” was coined to describe a particularly deafening audience reaction for a wrestler making their entrance.
Our deepest condolences to Joe's family and friends.