'Luscious' Johnny Valiant has died after being hit by a pick-up truck.
Johnny Valliant
The 71-year-old wrestler-turned-actor - whose real name was Thomas Sullivan - ran across a busy road in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday (04.04.18) morning when he was hit by the vehicle just before 5.30am.
He was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Detective Brian Kohlhepp told news station WPXI: "We do have witnesses. There was other traffic on McKnight [Road] at the time, so we were able to speak with people who actually witnessed the accident.
"There is no indication that this was anything other than a terrible accident."
Johnny began wrestling in 1969 and became World Tag Team Championship alongside on-screen brother Jimmy Valiant - whose real name is James Fanning - in 1974. The pair were inducted into the then-WWF Hall of Fame in 1996.
After his ring career came to an end, he moved into management and backed the likes of Julk Hogan and Brutus 'The Barber' Beefcake before quitting the WWF, which is now known as WWE, in 1988.
Post-sport, Johnny moved into acting and comedy and was best known for roles in 'The Sopranos' and 'Law & Order'.
WWE said in a statement: "WWE extends its condolences to Valiant's family, friends and fans."
A number of wrestling stars have also paid tribute to Johnny.
Luke Gallows tweeted: "R.I.P Luscious Johnny Valiant....Always kind to me and very helpful early in my career.(sic)
and Brian Heffron, aka The Blue Meanie, wrote "He was so talented, so witty and vastly under rated. Rest In Peace Johnny.(sic)"
Jimmy Korderas, a WWE referee, posted: "He was always kind to me. Thanks for the laughs JV.(sic)"