Saturday was a tragic day for the world of professional wrestling, as Lucha Libre icon and former WCW superstar Silver King passed away. As reported by The Inquisitr , Silver King was facing off against Juventud Guerrera in an event in London, when he ended up collapsing and dying shortly afterward. Since his passing, WWE, wrestling personalities, and even actor Jack Black offered up their condolences to the masked legend.
Silver King was 51-years-old at the time of his death and had wrestled in numerous promotions around the entire world. Over the last few years, he cut down on fighting in the ring and turned his focus to promoting and taking care of the business side of things.
During the London event on Saturday, King — real name César Cuauhtémoc González Barrón — was facing against Juventud Guerrera, another former WCW superstar. Near the end of the match, which was supposed to be won by King, Juventud delivered a kick which caused King to collapse. The wrestler didn’t get up after being knocked down.
While many have asked for respect and privacy during this difficult time, TMZ does have video of the incident which led to Silver King’s death. It is believed that he died of a heart attack in the ring. The video posted by TMZ may be disturbing to some viewers.
With the passing of a legend, many wrestling figures have started posting tributes to honor the memory of Silver King. Even though he never actually wrestled or worked with WWE, the company acknowledged his career and talent when announcing his death on Twitter.
WWE is saddened to learn that Lucha Libre legend and former WCW star Silver King has passed away at age 51. https://t.co/mAge65OmeN
— WWE (@WWE) May 12, 2019
Once the news started making the rounds on social media, other wrestling personalities began offering their condolences. A lot of them had also worked with Silver King in WCW, AAA, CMLL and some of the other promotions that King was a part of during his career.
Thoughts and prayers for Silver King and his family tonight. https://t.co/3LMj7mI0Gv
— Nattie (@NatbyNature) May 12, 2019
Godspeed, Silver King. Rest well, sir.
— Adam Pearce (@ScrapDaddyAP) May 12, 2019
Just read about Silver King’s untimely heart attack, in the ring tonight. I didn’t know him, but, heard so much about him over the years. Prayers, condolences to family, friends and fans.
— Michael PS Hayes (@MichaelPSHayes1) May 12, 2019
For those who remember the 2006 movie Nacho Libre — which starred Jack Black — you might be familiar with Silver King’s appearance in the film. Despite it being a comedy flick, Nacho Libre detailed the life of an actual Mexican Catholic priest who had a dream to be a masked luchador and professional wrestler. Black posted a photo from the filming of the movie after he heard of Silver King’s passing.
It’s quite clear that Silver King was loved around the world by his peers, family, friends, and millions of fans. The professional wrestling world lost a true legend in this lucha libre star.