Professional wrestler Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, part of the legendary Hart family wrestling dynasty, has died at the age of 63.
The Pasco Sheriff's Office said Neidhart fell at home, hit his head and "succumbed to his injury'' on Monday in Wesley Chapel, Florida. No foul play was suspected.
A two-time WWF tag team champion as part of the Hart Foundation with real-life brother-in-law Bret Hart, Neidhart was among the most recognizable characters in the WWF explosion of the late 1980s and early '90s, with his signature goatee and the Hart Foundation's pink and black wrestling gear.
"What a great run we had. I couldn't believe how it took off," Jimmy Hart, who managed the team, told The Associated Press. "But the reason why was, Neidhart was such a great character back then. Bret was more cool; the girls loved him. Neidhart and myself were kind of the evil twins."
Neidhart's pro wrestling career stretched back to the late 1970s, when he started performing for Bret's father Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling promotion in Calgary. Stu Hart ultimately sold Stampede to Vince McMahon in the mid-1980s, with Bret Hart and Neidhart as central parts of the deal.
After leaving the WWF for the first time in 1992, Neidhart returned for several key moments as part of an expanded Hart Foundation in 1996 and 1997, alongside three of his brother-in-laws -- Bret Hart, Owen Hart and the British Bulldog -- and Brian Pillman. The Hart Foundation's rivalry with Stone Cold Steve Austin culminated in one of the signature moments of the WWE's "Attitude Era" at the "In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede" pay-per-view, which was headlined by a 10-man tag match of the Hart Foundation vs. Austin, The Legion of Doom, Ken Shamrock and Goldust at the Saddledome in Calgary.
Bret Hart is the only wrestler from that incarnation of the Hart Foundation still alive. He reacted to the news of Neidhart's death in a tweet Monday.
Stunned and saddened. I just don't have the words right now. pic.twitter.com/fcO8Skuuhz
— Bret Hart (@BretHart) August 13, 2018
Ross Hart, his brother-in-law and a former pro wrestler, told the AP that Neidhart suffered from Alzheimer's disease and that it was believed he suffered a grand mal seizure on Monday.
"He got up [Monday] morning and went to lower the temperature on the air conditioner, and he just collapsed and I think died pretty quickly," Ross Hart said. "I was think this was stemming from Alzheimer's, which he'd been battling for some time. It's a struggle he's been going through."
Jimmy Hart said Neidhart seemed to be in good health when they last saw each other in April on WrestleMania weekend.
"He was witty. He was funny. He seemed sharp as a tack," Jimmy Hart said.
Neidhart is the father of current WWE superstar Natalya and the father-in-law of former WWE performer Tyson Kidd. WWE fans most recently saw Neidhart in sporadic appearances on the WWE-focused reality TV show "Total Divas."
He was a shot put star in high school in California in the early 1970s and had brief tryouts for NFL teams before becoming a pro wrestler.