{"id":20618,"date":"2018-06-20T11:27:29","date_gmt":"2018-06-20T15:27:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=20618"},"modified":"2018-06-20T13:00:48","modified_gmt":"2018-06-20T17:00:48","slug":"vader-passes-away-at-age-63","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2018\/06\/20\/vader-passes-away-at-age-63\/","title":{"rendered":"Vader Passes Away At Age 63; Peers React"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Moments ago, the family of Leon White &#8211; best known to fans as the legendary big man <strong>Vader<\/strong> in WCW, WWE and Japan &#8211; passed away this past Monday night. Vader was 63 years old. The family stated that his death was due to complications from a recent bout of pneumonia, following heart surgery earlier this year.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It is with a heavy heart to inform everyone that my father, Leon White, passed away on Monday night (6\/18\/18) at approximately 7:25pm. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/dP4CNaMuXa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/dP4CNaMuXa<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Big Van Vader (@itsvadertime) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/itsvadertime\/status\/1009447703418408960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 20, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Around a month ago my father was diagnosed with a severe case of Pneumonia. He fought extremely hard and clinically was making progress. Unfortunately, on Monday night his heart had enough and it was his time. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hJYjumvxjH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/hJYjumvxjH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Big Van Vader (@itsvadertime) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/itsvadertime\/status\/1009447756778360832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 20, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20625\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/06\/VADER6.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"347\" height=\"499\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/06\/VADER6.jpg 347w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/06\/VADER6-209x300.jpg 209w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/06\/VADER6-292x420.jpg 292w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 347px) 100vw, 347px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Vader got his start in wrestling in 1985, when he joined American Wrestling Association (AWA) as &#8220;Baby Bull&#8221; Leon White. A former NFL player with the Los Angeles Rams and standout college footballer, White worked in the AWA for two years before making the move to head to Japan. He originally signed with All Japan in 1987, but Giant Baba ended up trading his contract to NJPW. It was there that Vader became the monster we all knew and loved.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_20624\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20624\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-20624\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/06\/VADER5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/06\/VADER5.jpg 500w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/06\/VADER5-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-20624\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: NJPW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Repackaged as <strong>Big Van Vader<\/strong> (named after a character from Japanese folklore), he was pushed as a\u00a0<em>gaijin\u00a0<\/em>monster and soon became a crowd favourite due to his size and athleticism (although his initial beat down on Antonio Inoki maked him a marked man and villain early on). He became an absolute force of power in NJPW, becoming a 3x IWGP Heavyweight Champion.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20622\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/06\/VADER3-e1529507492427.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"398\"><\/p>\n<p>In 1992, he began to work with WCW full time, after sporadically appearing via a NJPW alliance, and when he arrived for good in 1992, he continued his dominance. He would go on to become a 3x WCW World Heavyweight Champion, feuding with the likes of Sting, Ricky Steamboat, Ric Flair and others.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20623\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/06\/VADER4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"406\" height=\"402\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/06\/VADER4.jpg 406w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/06\/VADER4-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/06\/VADER4-300x297.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 406px) 100vw, 406px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In 1996, he jumped to the WWF, just prior to the Attitude Era starting, as a member of Jim Cornette&#8217;s camp. He would spent two years with WWF, but his time was most forgettable and after an early push with feuds against the likes of Shawn Michaels and Sid Vicious, he soon found himself being used to put over new &#8220;monsters&#8221; in the WWF like Kane and Mankind instead. He left the WWF in 1998.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_20621\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20621\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-20621\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/06\/VADER2-e1529507825754.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"387\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-20621\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He returned to Japan, the land of his greatest success and began to work with both Pro Wrestling NOAH and All Japan. Over the next few years, he would win the All Japan Triple Crown Championship twice, and the GHC Tag Team titles in NOAH with 2 Cold Scorpio.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20626\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/06\/vader.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"320\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/06\/vader.jpg 320w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/06\/vader-213x300.jpg 213w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/06\/vader-299x420.jpg 299w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>He would go back to the independents for the remainder of his career, working Japan, the UK and North America. In 2012, he was brought back to WWE for one night only as one of the many legends that returned to beat up <strong>Heath Slater<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Vader Returns - WWE RAW 12.06.2012\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/F7B978XGjpw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Two years ago, he famously got into a spat with high flyers <strong>Will Ospreay<\/strong> and <strong>Ricochet<\/strong>, which lead to a generational match up with Ospreay in RevPro in 2016.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_20628\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20628\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-20628\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/06\/vaderospreay-e1529508149636.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-20628\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: RevPro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The entire staff of LWOPW offers it&#8217;s condolences to the family and friends of Leon White during this hard time.<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/RealMickFoley\/status\/1009460259772096517<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It&#39;s with sad condolences to hear that my long time friend <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/itsvadertime?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@itsvadertime<\/a> has passed away. He was a great person to manage and a great human being. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/R7itvDEdpe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/R7itvDEdpe<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Harley Race (@8XNWAChampion) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/8XNWAChampion\/status\/1009460768914493445?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 20, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Vader. Our thoughts are with his family today. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7olr0V4NNR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/7olr0V4NNR<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ThisIsTNA\/status\/1009462125838794753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 20, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">RIP BIG MAN. \ud83d\udd96<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Vader?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Vader<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/x55ovH1xAB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/x55ovH1xAB<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Bully Ray (@bullyray5150) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bullyray5150\/status\/1009456490640560130?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 20, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/RealPaigeWWE\/status\/1009450980818243585<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Vader changed the wrestling buisness<br \/>He set the tone for how a BIG man should wrestle<br \/>Celebrate his life<br \/>Watch his greatness in the ring<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ItsTime?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#ItsTime<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/syCKHKeRcv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/syCKHKeRcv<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Tommy Dreamer (@THETOMMYDREAMER) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/THETOMMYDREAMER\/status\/1009476395142131713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 20, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Vader\u2019s last <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@WWE<\/a> PPV was a match with me, he wanted me to kick out of his finish\/he told me \u201ctoday you get the old Vader, I want it to mean something when you win.\u201d RIP big man, and thanks! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/respect?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#respect<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/t3FiP2jMmh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/t3FiP2jMmh<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; John Layfield (@JCLayfield) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JCLayfield\/status\/1009464001988788224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 20, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;I fear no man and I feel no pain!&quot;<\/p>\n<p>Vader terrified me as a kid and later fired me up as a rebellious teenager. I was such a pure fan of him. RIP big man. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/VaderTime?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#VaderTime<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/RIPVader?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#RIPVader<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Qm5OWcckRB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/Qm5OWcckRB<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Nick Aldis (@RealNickAldis) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RealNickAldis\/status\/1009457527367618560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 20, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BkQPo6PgIvl\/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&#038;igshid=oq44o9mvp1mi<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWEMaverick\/status\/1009466050281426944<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">When I was a kid I was legit scared of Vader <\/p>\n<p>Thanks for making me believe <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/RIPVader?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#RIPVader<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; James Ellsworth (@realellsworth) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realellsworth\/status\/1009465964679913472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 20, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Moments ago, the family of Leon White &#8211; best known to fans as the legendary big man Vader in WCW, WWE and Japan &#8211; passed away this past Monday night. Vader was 63 years old. The family stated that his death was due to complications from a recent bout of pneumonia, following heart surgery earlier [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":649,"featured_media":20620,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,547,3],"tags":[2883,938],"class_list":["post-20618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-in-memorium","category-wwe-universe","tag-big-van-vader","tag-vader"],"modified_by":"Jamie Greer","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/649"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20618"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20618\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}