Rick Rude was 40 when he died on April 20, 1999. WWE lists the wrestler, born Richard Erwin Rood, at 6 ft 3 in and 252 lb. His wife at the time of his death was Michelle Rude, and a contemporary obituary reported that they had three children. That obituary listed heart failure as the cause of death.
How old was Rick Rude when he died?
Rude was born Richard Erwin Rood on December 7, 1958, and died on April 20, 1999. He was 40 years old. The Las Vegas Sun reported the death date in its obituary published April 29, 1999; his age follows from those dates. Read the contemporary obituary.
How tall was Rick Rude?
WWE’s official profile lists Rude at 6 ft 3 in and 252 lb. These are the statistics WWE publishes for him, not a newly verified measurement. WWE profile.
Who was Rick Rude’s wife?
The Las Vegas Sun obituary named Michelle Rude as his wife when he died and reported that the couple had three children. The contemporary sources cited here do not establish a complete list of Rude’s marriages, so claims that name earlier spouses should be treated cautiously.
#1 Best Overall
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How did Rick Rude die?
The April 29, 1999 Las Vegas Sun obituary reported that Rude died of heart failure on April 20 at North Fulton County Medical Center in the Atlanta area. The sources cited here do not substantiate a more specific medication or overdose explanation.
Why was Rick Rude famous?
Rude built a memorable wrestling persona around arrogance, taunts and showmanship. WWE recalls that he removed his robe to reveal custom ring attire, then addressed the crowd with an intentionally insulting in-character promo. WWE’s profile preserves the opening line, “What I’d like to have right now, is for all you fat, ugly, inner-city sweathogs to keep the noise down while I take my robe off and show the ladies what a real sexy man looks like…” This was performance dialogue, not a verified statement of his private views.
Rank #2
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Career highlights
After working in other wrestling territories, Rude joined WWE in late 1987. He defeated The Ultimate Warrior for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania V in 1989, later returned to WCW, and earned further championship success there. WWE lists his signature move as the Rude Awakening and names the Intercontinental Championship, WCW International World Heavyweight Championship and United States Championship among his career highlights. A back injury forced him to retire from wrestling; he later reappeared in the business in the late 1990s.
WWE inducted Rude into its Hall of Fame in 2017, posthumously. Its profile and Hall of Fame retrospective, published March 6, 2017, provide its career summary.
Quick Recap
Best Value
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- Each figure is detailed with TrueFX technology for a life-like face and added collectability!
- Fans can recreate signature moves with 14 points of articulation for dynamic posing!
- Reenact favorite WWE Main Event matches or create new rivalries and moves for play and display!
- WWE fans can find their favorite Superstar figure or can collect them all (each sold separately, subject to availability).
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Rank #3
- WWE action figures bring fan-favorite Superstars to life in 6-inch scale!
- Each figure is detailed with TrueFX technology for a life-like face and added collectability!
- Fans can recreate signature moves with 14 points of articulation for dynamic posing!
- Reenact favorite WWE Main Event matches or create new rivalries and moves for play and display!
- WWE fans can find their favorite Superstar figure or can collect them all (each sold separately, subject to availability).
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