One of the most legendary heels in the history of pro wrestling, The Iron Sheik, passed away at age 81. His family confirmed his passing through his Twitter account. In the statement, they went through his life, his cultural impact, his familial impact, and talked about how he started off as an Iranian immigrant and became one of the toughest pro wrestling legends ever.

He started wrestling in WWE in the 1980s and continued through the 1990s. His most famous feud was with Hulk Hogan. He also wrestled for Jim Crockett Promotions, the National Wrestling Alliance, World Class Championship Wrestling, and many other independent territories. His feud with Hogan transcended just professional wrestling and put the sport/entertainment on the map for mainstream audiences. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.

He’s survived by his wife Caryl, his kids Tanya, Nikki, Marissa, son-in-law Eddie, and grandchildren Marissa, Zahra, Alexis, Chloe, and Niko. The real-life Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri was a family man first but an excellent performer inside the ring who gave us all the reason to boo him.

Later in life, he was well-known as a Twitter personality Tweeting in all-caps about whatever was trending. His best Tweets involved scolding Hulk Hogan.

He might have left but his wisdom and humor will live on just like his legacy in the ring.

RESPECT THE LEGEND.

RIP.