INSIDE EDITION looks into the life and death of wrestling legend, The Ultimate Warrior, who passed away at the age of 54.
They're haunting last words from a wrestling legend, The Ultimate Warrior, who prophesied his own death in his final TV appearance when he said, "Every man's heart one day beats its final beat. His lungs breathe their final breath."
Less than 24 hours later, the superstar dropped dead at the age of 54.
Police tell INSIDE EDITION that The Ultimate Warrior collapsed in the hallway of a hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Tuesday afternoon, just hours after his prophetic speech on the WWE Raw telecast. Witnesses said he clutched his chest, and suffered what appeared to be a massive heart attack and never regained consciousness.
The Ultimate Warrior, who was born James Hellwig, was once one of wrestling's biggest superstars. He was known for face paint, rippling muscles and frenzied battles with Hulk Hogan.
He retired in 1998. Just this past Saturday night, in yet another strange coincidence, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Many observers were shocked by how different he looked from his prime in the nineties.
He joins a long list of other pro wrestlers who have succumbed at a shockingly young age. At least 65 wrestlers under the age of 65 have died since 1997. Twenty of them were from heart attacks and five of those deaths were related to steroids.
INSIDE EDITION spoke to Dr. Travis Stork, co-host of TV's The Doctors, and asked him what kind of a factor does steroid use plays on the heart. Stork said, "We do know that wrestlers have admitted to using these things to stay at the top of their game and it does, indeed, put them at risk.
