Lanny Poffo, the brother of «Macho Man» Randy Savage and known in WWE as The Genius, has died, the company announced Thursday. He was 68 years old.
«WWE is saddened to learn that Lanny Poffo, better known to sports-entertainment fans as The Genius, has passed away at the age of 68,» WWE said in a statement.
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Leaping Lanny Poffo; kicking Goulet in Canada.
(Boris Spremo/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
«The son of Angelo Poffo and younger brother of WWE Hall of Famer «Macho Man» Randy Savage, Lanny Poffo had a style of his own. Coming to WWE in 1985 alongside his brother, «Leaping» Lanny Poffo was an early-flyer in WWE While he did achieve some success as a fan favorite reading his own poetry and throwing Frisbees into the crowd, he reached new heights as The Genius while managing Mr. Perfect.
«WWE extends its condolences to Poffo’s family, friends and fans.»
«Hacksaw» Jim Duggan was among those who tweeted his condolences to Poffo’s family.
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«It is with a very, very heavy heart that I have been asked to inform everyone of the passing of our friend and colleague Lanny Poffo, The Genius,» Duggan wrote on Twitter. «RIP Lanny.»
All Elite Wrestling also tweeted their condolences.
Lanny Poffo, Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags (Nasty Boys) attend Chiller Theater Expo Day 2 on October 24, 2015 in Parsippany NJ, USA.
(Bobby Bank/Getty Images)
“AEW joins the world of wrestling in mourning the passing of Lanny Poffo. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and fans,» the company wrote.
Poffo, also known as «Leaping» Lanny Poffo, was the real-life brother of the «Macho Man». He started in the industry through the All-South Wrestling Alliance in 1974 and worked his way through the territories and eventually made it to the World Wrestling Federation (later known as WWE).
He went through a handful of matches during his time in WWE, including a Saturday Night Main Event XXIV match against Hulk Hogan.
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Poffo would later appear in WWE in 2015 to induct Savage into the Hall of Fame. He was also a valet for Jay Lethal in 2018 during the Ring of Honor wrestlers championship.