How did 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper pass away? Looking at the tragic cause of the WWE legend's death

'Rowdy' Roddy Piper was a WWE Hall of Famer, a Hollywood movie star, and a pop culture icon. He was in the main event of the very first WrestleMania, took the lead role in John Carpenter's sci-fi classic They Live, and had arguably the best guest role ever on the hit show It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

However, in 2015, he was taken away from the wrestling world at the age of 61. It has since come to the fore that the legend passed away due to a heart attack. On July 24, 2015, Piper appeared on The Rich Eisen Show. While clearly enjoying himself, Piper had trouble staying focused and answering Eisen's questions.

At the time, it was hard to notice as Piper always marched to a different drummer, and this didn't seem like anything different. In hindsight, though, it was a clue of what was about to come.

A week later, the Hall of Famer passed away in his sleep. According to official reports, Piper's death was caused by a cardiopulmonary arrest caused by hypertension, with a pulmonary embolism as a contributing factor. Essentially, as TMZ would report, a heart attack caused by an embolism.

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Roddy Piper's close friends from WWE spoke about their final interactions with him

Bruce Prichard and Hulk Hogan, close friends of Piper, recalled receiving voicemails from the former Intercontinental Champion before his passing. Prichard mentioned that Roddy has said he wasn't "feeling well" and intended to "sleep it off."

Hogan stated that Piper told him, in a voicemail he discovered following Roddy's passing, that he was "walking with Jesus."

Roddy had mentioned during an interview with HBO's Real Sports that he didn't expect to live past the age of 65. Unfortunately, he was right.

While never a world champion, Roddy Piper was one of the biggest stars in the industry. Not only did he hold the WWE Intercontinental Championship, but he defended it against Bret Hart in a classic bout at WrestleMania VIII. His villain persona against Hulk Hogan in the early 80s helped make Hogan a superhero.

As Roddy Piper told Hogan during their WCW feud, "If they didn't hate me so much, do you think they'd be cheering you so much?"

What are your favorite Roddy Piper memories? Share them and more in the comments section down below!