Pat Patterson, first pro wrestler to come out publicly as gay, dies aged 79
In a beautiful extended tribute, The Rock called Pat a "mentor and father figure"
Pat Patterson, the first pro wrestler to come out publicly as gay, has died at the age of 79.
In a statement, the WWE said Canadian Patterson left an “indelible mark” on wrestling.
His cause of death has not yet been disclosed.
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On Instagram, the organisation called him: “An innovator, a mentor, and a beloved member of the WWE family.”
Patterson became WWE’s first Intercontinental Champion in September 1979 and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1996; as a producer and executive, he is credited with creating the format for The Royal Rumble professional wrestling event.
He stopped wrestling in 1988, at which point he began commentating. Patterson first spoke about his sexuality publicly on WWE Network’s Legends House in 2014.
Loss is incredibly difficult. Those we love are only truly gone if we stop caring. Pat Patterson lived life as it should be lived with passion, love and purpose. He helped so many and always entertained with a story or joke. He will live on in my life always. Love you Patrick.
— John Cena (@JohnCena) December 2, 2020
One of Patterson’s mentees John Cena said on Twitter: “Loss is incredibly difficult. Those we love are only truly gone if we stop caring. Pat Patterson lived life as it should be lived with passion, love and purpose. He helped so many and always entertained with a story or joke. He will live on in my life always. Love you Patrick.”
“Love you, Pat”
Meanwhile wrestling icon and film star The Rock paid tribute on Instagram, saying: “Rest in love, Pat. You’ll be missed.”
In a moving statement, the Jungle Cruise star added: “Rough phone calls to get this morning to tell me, our dear family member, Pat Patterson who was my pro wrestling mentor and father figure has passed away.
“A @wwe hall of famer, TRUE trailblazer and one of the most brilliantly creative wrestling minds the industry has ever known.
“He was also responsible for calling Vince McMahon when I was training to become a pro wrestler (my $7 bucks days) and said, “Vince you gotta see this kid work in the ring”.
“Vince flew me to RAW a few weeks later and I had my first match EVER in Corpus Christie, Texas. The rest is history and years later, here I am writing this post. * cue Sinatra’s MY WAY (Pat’s favorite to sing)
“…I’ve lived a life that’s full, I traveled each and every highway, But more, much more than this. I did it my way…
“Love you, Pat. And THANK YOU. I’ll see you down the road.”
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