Arnold Schwarzenegger Calls Shad Gaspard ‘The Ultimate Hero’

Arnold Schwarzenegger is the latest celebrity to pay tribute to Shad Gaspard. This week, the actor and former governor of California took to Instagram to share his thoughts about the late WWE star. Schwarzenegger posted a photo of him at a Gaspard tribute site and wrote about the impact he made on the community.

“On my bike ride today I stopped to pay respects to Shad Gaspard,” Schwarzenegger wrote. “He was such a positive force in the gym and the world. He was a hero in bodybuilding, a hero in wrestling, and the moment he told lifeguards to save his son first, the ultimate hero. My thoughts are with his family.” Schwarzenegger is not wrong to call Gaspard a hero. Earlier this month Gaspard died while getting caught in a riptide at Venice Beach. He was swimming with his 10-year old son when both got caught in the riptide with a group of swimmers. When lifeguards went to rescue Gaspard and his son, Gaspard told them to save his son first.

The entire wrestling community mourned the loss of Gaspard as he was one of the more colorful characters during his time in WWE. He was one half of the tag team Cryme Tyme with JTG. The team was very popular in the 2000s despite not winning the Tag Team Championships. In 2008, Cryme Tyme teamed up with John Cena for a short run. It was recently reported that Cena donated $40,000 to the Gaspard family on the official GoFundMe page.

When Gaspard’s body was found, his wife, Siliana Gaspard, released a statement showing appreciation to everyone who tried to find and save him. “The outpouring of love from Shad’s friends, colleagues and fans has meant more to us than you can ever imagine,” Siliana said. “We’d like to once again thank the lifeguards, coast guard, divers, fire and police departments for their efforts. Shad was and will always be our real life super hero.”

She also thanked all the fans for their support through the ordeal. “Shad was our whole world and we were his. There are not enough words to describe what he means to all of us,” she stated. He was our heart, our soul, our protector, our warrior. He was a bright force of nature, who brought joy to many through his joyous and gracious nature.”