Legendary WWE star Pat Patterson died at 79. He was honored with Hall of Fame in 1996. Moreover, Patterson was the first wrestler who came out openly as gay.
The WWE issued a statement expressing their mourning over Pat Patterson’s death news. They said that the wrestler was a pioneer of the wrestling industry.
The man achieved many firsts in this industry and he was the creator of the royal rumble match. Patterson also won the intercontinental title, which was never won by anyone else before.
Pat Patterson had a long six-decade career in the sports entertainment industry. Moreover, his contributions to the ring, behind the scenes, or the microphone is remarkable.
WWE sends their condolences to the deceased family.
WWE family remembers the legend, Pat Patterson
Pat Patterson was known as Pierre Clermont earlier. He came into wrestling in 1958. The WWE star was from Canada and called it a day from the wrestling ring in 1984.
The Hall of Fame facilitated him in 1996. He had gone behind the microphone as a commentator till then for WWE.
Shane McMahon, who is the executive of WWE, expressed grief about Patterson’s death. He felt such a personal loss. Moreover, the former wrestler considered Pat Patterson as his family member, close friend, and mentor. He used Twitter to express how much he loves the hall of fame wrestler.
The chief brand officer of WWE, Stephanie McMahon, said that she was lucky to have grown up with Hall of Fame wrestling legend Pat Patterson. Further, she said the legend was the father of royal rumble matches and the first winner of the intercontinental title. She also added that she is thankful to Patterson, who taught her not to take things seriously in life too much.
Wrestling Star Triple H, the WWE executive, said that he was at a loss of words after hearing the news. He said that Patterson was born for the ring. The WWE family will miss his wrestling and his storytelling, life principles, and so many other things.
First-ever wrestler to come out of the closet
Pat Patterson came out open publicly that he was gay in 2014. He announced it in a WWE Legends House episode in 2014.
Patterson said that he didn’t want to hide from himself anymore. He will survive openly as gay for the next 50 years as he was surviving before coming out. The legend had lost a friend who was with him for 40 years. Also, he revealed it was tough for him to cope up with that loss.
The Hall of Fame wrestler wrote his memoir in 2016. There he had written about his journey as a gay individual. More so, he was in the wrestling industry, so he had quite an experience to talk about. The name of his memoir is Accepted: How the First Gay Superstar Changed WWE.
