Former WWE Star 'Virgil' Mike Jones Has Died
Virgil was a staple of WWE during the '80s and '90s.
Former WWE Superstar "Virgil" Mike Jones has passed away. He was 61. ComicBook.com reports that Pittsburgh referee and friend Mark Charles III was the first to announce Virgil's passing, taking to Facebook to share the sad news.
"My dear friends, it is with great sorrow that I bring news from the Jones family of the passing of our beloved Michael Jones, whom we know and loved as Virgil, Vincent, Soul Train Jones and more," Charles wrote. "Virgil passed peacefully at the hospital this morning and I ask that you pray for him and for his family. May his memory be eternal!"
RIP Mike Jones aka Virgil. Him turning against Ted DiBiase was one of my favorite #WWE moments as a kid. pic.twitter.com/ViyfqKnH9g
— Aaron Rift of NoDQ.com (@aaronrift) February 28, 2024
Virgil was a beloved and popular individual within the WWE. Some of his most notable moments come from his time as a bodyguard for "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, whom he would later go on to turn against in the early '90s. He later went on to join DiDiase in WCW, as part of the New World Order faction, which also featured "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash.
After many years of active competition, Virgil retired in the early 2000s, but would occasionally make appearances. ComicBook.com notes that within the past 15 years, he had cameos on both WWE and AEW programming.
Over the years, Virgil fought several health issues. In 2022, the former wrestler revealed that he had been diagnosed with stage one gastrointestinal cancer, as well as dementia. At this time, there is no word on his cause of death.