Professional wrestler King Kong Bundy has died at age 61.
WWE said in a release that it was saddened to learn of Bundy's death, expressing condolences to his family, friends and fans.
Promoter and longtime friend David Herro says Bundy died Monday. Herro posted on Facebook: "Today we lost a Legend and a man I consider family."
The cause of death and other details were not disclosed.
WWE is saddened to learn that King Kong Bundy has passed away.https://t.co/SNrSunQYeQ
— WWE (@WWE) March 5, 2019
Bundy, whose real name was Christopher Pallies, was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The 6-foot-4, 458-pound wrestler made his World Wrestling Federation debut in 1981.
He was best known for facing Hulk Hogan in 1986 in a steel cage match at WrestleMania 2, which Hogan won. Bundy also found himself opposite or alongside many of the other biggest names of the era, including Andre the Giant, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and The Undertaker.
Bundy also crossed over into pop culture, making appearances on TV shows including "Married with Children." He starred prominently alongside The Undertaker, Diesel, Shawn Michaels and Paul Bearer in a mid-1990s "This is SportsCenter" commercial.
He was planning to appear next month at WrestleCon in New York City.