Lanny Poffo, who wrestled and served as an on-screen manager for the then-WWF during the 1980s and early '90s, died at the age of 68, WWE announced Thursday.
Known as "The Genius" and also as "Leaping" Lanny Poffo during his time in the ring, he found his greatest success as the manager of "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig.
Poffo is the real-life younger brother of wrestling legend "Macho Man" Randy Savage. He made his wrestling debut in 1974 and went on to win the NWA tag-team titles with his father, Angelo Poffo.
He joined WWF in 1985 as "Leaping" Lanny Poffo, a babyface man who would read a short poem written on a frisbee before tossing it to the crowd. But he's better known as "The Genius," an arrogant role he adopted in 1989 where he berated his opponents.
That same year, The Genius faced Hulk Hogan, who was then the WWF champion, on "Saturday Night Main Event." He went on to manage Mr. Perfect and appeared with WWF for the final time at Survivor Series '92.