"WWE extends its condolences to White's family, friends and fans," a spokesman for WWE emailed us as part of a statement.
White began his sports entertainment career in the mid-1980s after retiring from the NFL due to injury, per WWE's bio, which the company rep shared with TheWrap. He rose to national prominence in Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association before joining New Japan Pro Wrestling as the masked Big Van Vader. He went on to become one of the promotion's biggest stars and most feared competitors.
Vader then transitioned to World Championship Wrestling, where he would make the biggest mark of his career. He engaged in memorable rivalries with the likes of Sting and Ron Simmons, becoming a dominant, three-time WCW World Champion in the process. In 1996, Vader joined the WWE roster.
The 6'4," 450-lb. White, who divorced from wife Grace Connelly in 2007, leaves behind two children.
White began his sports entertainment career in the mid-1980s after retiring from the NFL due to injury, per WWE's bio, which the company rep shared with TheWrap. He rose to national prominence in Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association before joining New Japan Pro Wrestling as the masked Big Van Vader. He went on to become one of the promotion's biggest stars and most feared competitors.
Vader then transitioned to World Championship Wrestling, where he would make the biggest mark of his career. He engaged in memorable rivalries with the likes of Sting and Ron Simmons, becoming a dominant, three-time WCW World Champion in the process. In 1996, Vader joined the WWE roster.
The 6'4," 450-lb. White, who divorced from wife Grace Connelly in 2007, leaves behind two children.
