The Iron Sheik, one of professional wrestling's most iconic villains and colorful characters, has died at the age of 81.
Born Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri in Iran in 1942, the Iron Sheik rose to fame in the 1970s and '80s as a villainous heel. Highlighted by his feud with wrestling great Hulk Hogan in the '80s, the Sheik was known for wearing a keffiyeh and his signature curly mustache, as well as his sheer strength and finishing maneuver, the Camel Clutch.
His death was announced by his managers on his Twitter account on June 7:
In 2005, the Iron Sheik was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame for his career achievements, including winning the WWF championship in the 1980s from Bob Backlund, before later losing the title to Hogan. The loss is widely regarded as the beginning of "Hulkamania."
Sheik is also a former WWF tag team champion, teaming alongside wrestler Nikolai Volkoff, who portrayed a Russian villain.
In his later years, the Iron Sheik became something of a social media phenomenon, as he would comment on pop culture events with his trademark vulgarity on his Twitter page. He developed a large following for his irreverent and comical voice.
Prior to wrestling professional, Iron Sheik was a well-regarded amateur wrestler, serving as an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic wrestling team in the 1980s.
Famously, the Iron Sheik is also credited for the popularization of the comedic insult "jabroni," which was recently used by Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (to which Sheik was delighted).
The wrestling world paid tribute to Vaziri on Wednesday, paying respect to the legend:
Vaziri is survived by his three children and wife.