Piper, whose real name is Roderick George Toombs, is survived by his wife Kitty, his daughters Anastacia Shea (with whom he has a granddaughter), Ariel Teal, Falon Danika, and son Colton Baird.
He main-evented the first WrestleMania along with "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, facing the team of Hulk Hogan and Mr. T. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2005 by "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair.
He was a cancer survivor, diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2006 and finished radiation therapy in 2007. He said he owed his fans for choosing him to be Flair's tag-team partner in their match at the Cyber Sunday pay-per-view in 2006, for that eventually made way for him to discover his disease and have it treated immediately.
John Carpenter, director of the 1988 science fiction film They Live in which Piper starred, expressed his sadness on the news, tweeting, "Devastated to hear the news of my friend Roddy Piper's passing today. He was a great wrestler, a masterful entertainer, and a good friend."
UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey, who also adopted the nickname "Rowdy" after Piper gave her his approval when they met, posted his picture on her Instagram account, saying "Thank you for the name, and so much more. (I) will do it justice and do you proud tomorrow. This one's for you, Roddy."
Thank you, "Hot Rod".