4 WWE Superstars who died before the age of 30

Pro wrestling is an unsympathetic profession as the tenebrous side of the physically demanding career is often dimmed by the bright lights and the flashy personas of the performers.

Pro wrestlers experience an irreplaceable high that comes from the reverberating cheers and jeers of 1000+ fans in an arena. Success and adulation are great but they come at a cost, and for WWE Superstars, it's a mountainous task.

Grueling schedules, extensive traveling, and wrestling; lots of wrestling, would either make you rich and famous or a burnt out individual. Nobody said being a WWE Superstar was easy, as the physical, emotional and mental pressures are sometimes too overwhelming to fathom. And then you have the non-wrestling factors in life that are sometimes beyond our control.

Life is just as unpredictable as the storylines from the Attitude Era as you may never know when Thanatos (god of death) may come knocking on your door. The handful of superstars on this list, unfortunately for varied reasons, passed away even before they reached their peaks.

#1 Russ Hass - 27 at the time of death

That last name has to ring a bell. The WWE Universe may surely be familiar with Charlie Hass, one-half of the World's Greatest Tag Team, but not many know of his younger brother.

The Hass brothers began wrestling together on the independent circuit in the late 1990s. Their success in many small-time promotions attracted WWE's attention, who signed them up to a developmental contract in 2000. They even had three reigns as the tag team champs in Memphis Champion Wrestling (WWE's earlier developmental system) before being promoted to working dark and house matches on the main roster.

The gifted brothers were primed to make their main roster TV debuts together before Russ' untimely death on the night of December 15, 2001. The autopsy reports stated that he died after suffering a heart attack in his sleep.

Condolences poured in from all corners following Russ' death with East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) and Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) posthumously inducting him into the Hall of Fame.

Many of his colleagues from the wrestling industry paid their tributes including Charlie, who had the words 'RUSS' printed on the wrist tape all throughout his career.

#2 Louie Spicolli - 27 at the time of death

The supposed inventor of the Death Valey Driver, Louise Spicolli or better known Rad Radford to the WWE faithful mournfully let his inner demons get the better of him.

Spicolli was WWE's go-to jobber in the early 90s as he lost almost all his matches until he was repackaged by the WWE in 1995, During this time, Spicolli worked for various independent promotions in America, Japan, and Mexico which convinced the WWE to give him a proper character. And what did they come up with? The grunge-loving boyfriend of Courtney Love failed to click with the fans while his drug dependencies simultaneously came to light,

He suffered an overdose in 1996 and was released from the WWE after he recovered, however, there was a catch. He was not allowed to sign with the company's fierce rivals WCW for a year.

Spicolli would join WCW in 1997 as Scott Hall's stooge and would also have a brief yet entertaining stint as a commentator. However, the tragic news of his mother being diagnosed with cancer would prove too much to handle for Spicolli, who relapsed as a result and subsequently overdosed on wine and soma on February 15th, 1998.

He died of asphyxiation by choking on his own vomit. The South California Pro Wrestling Hall of Famer was scheduled to face Larry Zbyszko at Superbrawk VIII but the match was canceled after his untimely death.

#3 Kasavubu - 26 at the time of death

Kasavubu was a great heel back in the day.

Very few may know about Jimmy Lee Banks, better known as Kasavubu. Billed from Uganda, the 6'4" 330 lb wrestler was one of the most vicious heels in Canda during the latter half of the 1970s.

The WWE (then WWWF) got him on board in 1976 and booked him in matches against the likes of Bob Backlund, Andre the Giant and Bobo Brazil before leaving to join Stampede Wrestling. Kasavabu was one of Stampede's top bad guys and also held the North American Heavyweight Championship and Tag Team titles during his time with the company. He briefly returned to the WWE when the company had renamed itself to WWF in 1979 and went on to lose various matches before quitting yet again in 1980.

The American wrestler suffered from many health complications which drastically affected his in-ring career. He struggled with diabetes and had to take dialysis treatment during shows. His body continued to deteriorate in the following months as he developed issues with his kidney. He passed away on July 27, 1982, due to a heart attack, which occurred moments before he was supposed to undergo a kidney transplant from his brother.

Many notable wrestlers appeared on a tribute show that was organized to raise funds for the departed wrestler' family.

#4 Lance Cade - 29 at the time of death

Cade and Murdoch had three reigns with the tag team titles.

For some mysterious reason, Lance Cade's shocking death has often been neglected by the WWE and the pro wrestling fraternity in general. Cade burst onto the scene as a proficient tag team specialist back in 1999 and event tagged with Daniel Bryan during the initial days of his career.

Cade was picked up for a WWE developmental contract in 2003 and he wrestled for Ohio Valley Wrestling before making the jump to Raw that year. While he had a decent run as the partner of Mark Jindrak, Cade's WWE career took off when he teamed up with Trevor Murdoch in September 2005.

The duo would go on to win the World Tag Team titles thrice before they were both released in 2008. Cade wrestled in the indies before making his way back to WWE developmental system. The renewed stint ended in seven months as Cade was released without a main roster return.

Five months after his second WWE departure on August 13th, 2010, Cade would suffer an accidental drug overdose as a result of a concoction of various substances that led to a Cardiomyopathy. He was experiencing health issues prior to his death and was even hospitalized during that time.

Shawn Michaels, who trained the former WWE Tag Team Champion in 1999 at the Shawn Michaels Wrestling Academy, put out an emotional tweet in the wake of his student's death. The heartbreaking tweet read:

"Aft my morning tweet, I got the call about Lance. No words will be good enuff. 1 of my boys is gone. My prayers&thoughts have already been given 2 his family & will continue. Goodbye Lance, I Love You. I ask that all of you would lift his family up in prayer."