Macho Man Randy Savage dead after crash

Randy Savage, Pro Wrestling’s Macho Man, Dies at 58

By ELIZABETH A. HARRIS

Published: May 20, 2011

Randy Savage, who with his trademark sunglasses, bandannas and raspy voice was one of the most recognizable professional wrestlers of the 1980s and ’90s as the character Macho Man, died on Friday in a one-car accident in Pinellas County, Fla. He was 58.

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WWE, via Associated Press

Randy "Macho Man" Savage died Friday in a one-car accident.

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B. Vartan Boyajian/Associated Press

Mr. Savage put Hulk Hogan in a headlock in 1989.

His brother, Lanny Poffo, said that Savage was driving with his wife, Lynn, about 9:25 a.m. when he passed out at the wheel, drove over the median and hit a tree. His wife had minor injuries, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

Savage, whose real name was Randy Poffo, would strut into the ring to his theme song “Pomp and Circumstance,” muscles gleaming and neon spandex shining, growling his signature expression, “Oooh, yeah!” before diving at his opponents, elbows first.

Outside the ring, he would wear brightly colored cowboy hats and outfits dripping with fringe to appear as a spokesman for Slim Jim snacks (“Snap into a Slim Jim!” he would say. “Oooh, yeah!”) or as a guest on talk shows like Arsenio Hall’s, never breaking character.

In a world in which enormous, half-naked men hurl their bodies at one another in front of thousands of people — complete with elaborate story lines, sequined costumes and theme music — Savage managed to stand out, perhaps because he spoke and dressed more loudly than most, or perhaps because he was equally successful playing a villain (known in the industry as a heel) and a good guy (a face).

Colleagues who knew him at the height of his success, when he wrestled alongside Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan and Ricky the Dragon Steamboat, said he had charisma and a knack for spontaneity.

“The real gift of a good wrestler is improv, and your ability to read a crowd and know what to do instinctively; Randy was very good at that,” said the former pro wrestler Ted DiBiase, whose character, Million Dollar Man, had a much-publicized rivalry with Macho Man. “If you’re going to be very good in our industry, you have to be an athlete as well as an entertainer.”

Randy Mario Poffo was born on Nov. 15, 1952, in Columbus, Ohio, into a family of wrestlers. His brother, Lanny, wrestled under the name the Genius, and his father, Angelo Poffo, wrestled as well. Before becoming a wrestler in the mid-1970s, Savage played minor league baseball for about four years in the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds organizations, mainly as an outfielder.

Savage’s first wife, Elizabeth Hulette, was part of his act for many years as his manager, called Miss Elizabeth or the First Lady of Wrestling. The couple divorced, and in 2003, she died from a prescription drug overdose at 42.

After his wrestling days, Savage found other avenues. He played the wrestler Bonesaw McGraw in the 2002 movie “Spider-Man,” appeared on situation comedies like “Mad About You,” and lent his scratchy baritone to video games and cartoons, including “Family Guy” and “King of the Hill.”

Savage and his second wife, Lynn, were married last May after some 10 years together, Lanny Poffo said.

Beside his wife and brother, Savage is survived by his mother, Judy, and his stepchildren, Devin and Noel.

Twitter was abuzz on Friday with tributes to Savage and condolences for his family. Hogan, with whom Savage had a legendary rivalry in the ring, said they had just started speaking again after 10 years.

“He had so much life in his eyes & in his spirit,” Hogan wrote. “I just pray that he’s happy and in a better place and we miss him.”

Dave Itzkoff contributed reporting.

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