William Moody, 'Paul Bearer,' Dies at 58 (VIDEO)
William Moody entertained the world as his alter ego Paul Bearer for many years in the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment industry. Moody's character, a play on the words pallbearer, was one of the more unique persons in the WWE and his death has left fans and colleagues stunned and in mourning.
"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," WWE icon Hulk Hogan tweeted upon learning the news.
Bearer made his debut in 1991 as the manager of The Undertaker and famously carried around an urn whose contents were never truly known. Bearer was an eccentric character who was supposedly the Undertaker's father and encouraged his "son" in every single match; he often used the urn to raise his son from the mat before being pinned to help him clinch the win.
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He spoke in an eerie voice and used makeup to present a pale, ghostly figure in the WWE. Several years later another wrestler, Kane, entered the WWE and was presented as being Paul Bearer's other son. He and the Undertaker became known as the Brothers of Destruction.
"Both chilling and intriguing the WWE Universe with his memorably macabre persona, Bearer will always be recognized as one of WWE's defining managers and an integral part of the Undertaker's legendary mythology," the WWE's website reads.
"Rest in peace, Paul Bearer. You will never be forgotten. There will never be another," tweeted wrestler Triple H.
"He loved the business as much as I did," wrote WWE analyst Arda Ocal on his blog, "and was perfectly happy to talk about it and impart wisdom. I will never forget that. Rest in peace, William Moody. Thank you for the memories from your long and storied career, and thank you for being caring enough to talk to me and give me wisdom."
It's clear that Moody made an impact not just on the WWE but on his fans and the larger community.
Watch a clip of Moody's work as Paul Bearer HERE:
