Paul Bearer -- the spooky WWE manager who helped introduce The Undertaker -- died Tuesday evening at the age of 58 ... this according to the WWE.
Bearer -- real name "Bill" Moody -- joined the WWE in 1990 ... playing the role of a creepy funeral director who managed various wrestling stars ... including Undertaker, Kane, Rick Rude, Vader and Mankind.
The details surrounding Bearer's death are unclear -- but he reportedly suffered from serious health problems over the past decade ... including morbid obesity and gallbladder issues.
R.I.P.
The WWE released a statement saying ... "WWE is saddened to learn of the passing of William Moody, aka Paul Bearer."
"Moody made his WWE debut in 1991 as the manager of The Undertaker and went on to become a memorable part of WWE over the course of the next 20 years. Our deepest condolences go out to Moody?s family, friends and fans."
Source:
http://www.tmz.com/2013/03/05/paul-bearer-dead-wwe-legend-dies-bill-moody/-
Twitter reactions from the wrestling world are starting to come in after WWE announced the death of William "Paul Bearer" Moody tonight.
Some Stars that posted have posted more than 1 time, so watch out for that.
Michael Cole: "So sad. We lost a great person and a wonderful man today. Rest in peace paul bearer. God bless his family and Godspeed."
Jim Ross: "Just informed via http://wwe.com Paul Bearer aka Percy Pringle passed away earlier today. I have no other details. RIP old friend."
Zeb Colter (Dutch Mantell): "RIP PAUL BEARER. GREAT MANAGER. WONDERFUL MAN."
Diamond Dallas Page: "Sad to hear of the passing of Bill Moody (Paul Bearer)... Not a nicer man in the biz. RIP bro"
Triple H: "Rest in peace, Paul Bearer. You will never be forgotten. There will never be another. #PaulBearer"
Tyson Kidd: "Sad to hear about the passing of Paul Bearer. One of the best managers of all time. Pretty sure EVERYONE has tried imitating his voice"
Shawn Michaels: "I'm so sorry to hear of the passing of Paul Bearer. Our prayers go out to him and his family. God Bless!!"
Goldust: "Very sad! God be with william moody's family! God protect the moody family, please. Prayers sent. So sad"
William Regal: "Very sorry to hear of the passing of Paul Bearer.My best wishes to his family.A lovely man and my friend.RIP."
Howard Finkel: "Saddened to learn of the passing of Paul Bearer (William Moody). He was a unique, one of a kind individual both in and out of the ring. RIP"
Rikishi: "You will be missed by so & I will never forget when we bust a move together my brother #RIPPAULBEARER."
MVP: "The scary man with the strange voice. Rest In Power Paul Bearer..."
Shane Helms: "Saddened to hear about the passing of Wrestling Legend @wweURNiverse Glad I got to see ya one last time just recently Paul. Bless your fam."
Mickie James: "Very sad to hear that Paul Bearer has passed away tonight... My thoughts, prayers, & heart go out to his family, friends & loved ones... RIP"
Ricardo Rodriguez: "Paul Bearer/William Moody, you taught me so much. It truly saddens me to hear about this! I Love You, and I thank you eternally! RIP"
The Miz: "Just found out Paul Bearer died tonight. He was always so nice when I talked to him. My thoughts n prayers are w/ his family #RIPPaulBearer"
Hulk Hogan: "Very sad about Paul Bearer,he was a great person and one of the original boys,he was what made wrestling great much love much respect HH"
Ezekiel Jackson: "#RIPPaulBearer didn't get to spend much time with him but the one day at lunch in Calgary will go in my book if I ever wrote one. #Godspeed"
Ricardo Rodriguez: "You always spoke very highly of me and I can not thank you enough for that! That you! #RIPPaulBearer"
Justin Roberts: "Very sad night. RIP Paul Bearer, a man I grew up watching on tv and was lucky enough to have later on, as a friend."
Ted DiBiase Jr: "Losing one of our own @WWE feels like losing a family member. Thank you for the memories Paul! God Bless #RIPPaulBearer"
Bret Hart: "Goodbye to a good friend, Paul Bearer. Say hi to Owen for me."
Tara: "I am deeply saddened to hear that Paul Bearer has passed away. He will be deeply missed. May he rest In peace"
Michelle McCool: "#RIPPaulBearer ....you always made me smile. Great entertainer, even better man! We love you & will forever miss you! God bless..."
Shane Helms: "I've never heard one bad thing said about Paul. In this biz, that's extremely rare. It says a lot about the man."
Sean Waltman: "I'm so at a loss right for words right now. I've known him since 1995 & I can't get myself together enough to write anything at the moment."
Stephanie McMahon: "#RIPPaulBearer"
Dixie Carter: "Our condolences go out to the many family, friends and fans of William Moody. A great performer in our industry."
The Usos: R.I.P Paul Bearer... Our love goes to his family.
Photo of Paul Bearer from 10 days ago posted Jerry "The King" Lawler:
