Lanny Poffo, former WWE star and brother of the late WWE Hall of Famer “Macho Man” Randy Savage, has died. He was 68 years old. The cause of death was not announced, but WWE Hall of Famer “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan shared the news on his social media accounts.
“With a very, very heavy heart, I’ve been asked to let everyone know about the passing of our friend and colleague Lanny Poffo, The Genius,” Duggan wrote. “RIP Lanny.” Poffo was with WWE (known as WWF at the time) from 1985-1992 where he became known for his work as a heel. He was first known as “Leaping” Lanny Poffo before being called “The Genius.” During his time in WWE, Poffo never won a championship but did challenge Hulk Hogan for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship in 1989, according to Comicbook.com.
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Poffo returned to the WWF in 1995 before joining WCW from 1995-1999. He started his professional wrestling career in 1974 after being trained by his father Angelo. He would spend time in various promotions such as National Wrestling Alliance, Mid-South Wrestling and the Continental Wrestling Association before heading to the WWF in 1985. Poffo competed in his last match in January 2020.
Poffo’s death comes nearly 12 years after Savage died of a heart attack at the age of 58. In an interview with Wrestling Inc. in 2014, Poffo talked about how he and Savage signed with the WWF at the same time. “Well, we didn’t sign anything. Everything was per diem. They wanted him really bad and I was thrown in. They asked me if I wanted to be a heel or a baby face, and I figured since they didn’t have anything for me I’d be a babyface because I think it’s real depressing to be a heel without a gimmick. I got really lucky a few months later I was a guest on Tuesday Night Titans and I figured if I was boring they’d never invite me back. So I wore a suit of armor and I did a poem. Vince didn’t like the suit of armor very much, but he liked the poem and said from then on I do a poem before every match.”
