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Randy "Macho Man" Savage, a larger-than-life personality from professed wrestling's 1980s flying-elbow heyday famous for his raspy voice, forward call and the young blackamoor named Miss Elizabeth who ofttimes accompanied him, died in a car break weekday in Florida. He was 58.

A Florida Highway Patrol break inform said the past combatant — whose legal name was Randy Mario Poffo — was dynamical a Jeep Wrangler when he forfeited curb in Pinellas County around 9:25 a.m. The Jeep veered over the upraised objective median divider, decussate over the east lanes and crashed head-on into a tree.

Police said he haw hit suffered a "medical event" before the accident, but the inform did not elaborate, and it said officials would need to perform an examination to undergo for sure.

The inform said a blackamoor in the vehicle, identified as Barbara L. Poffo, 56, suffered secondary injuries. A evidence from Stamford, Conn.-based World Wrestling Entertainment said the traveller was the wrestler's underway wife. Both were act their seatbelts, according to the police report.

"Poffo will be greatly uncomprehensible by WWE and his fans," the evidence said.

Savage was a charismatic combatant prefabricated famous for his "Macho Man" soubriquet and his "Oooh Yeah!" catchphrase. He was a endorse in Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation, and after Ted Turner's now-defunct World Championship Wrestling.

Poffo was low contract with WWE from 1985 to 1993 and held both the WWE and Intercontinental Championships.

"Our sincerest condolences go discover to his kinsfolk and friends. We desire a fast recovery to his wife," WWE said.

Savage circumscribed the mega-watt personalities of the 1980s World Wrestling Federation (now WWE). He wore sequined robes bejeweled with "Macho Man" on the back, rainbow-colored cattleman hats and colorful bandanas and oversized sunglasses, conception of a unique look that helped build the WWF into a mainstream phenomenon.

For most of his career, his valet, Miss Elizabeth, was by his side. The woman, Elizabeth Hulette, was his real-life spouse at the time. They after divorced, and Hulette died in 2003 at 42 in what was after ruled a medication take overdose.

Savage's death was not the first to grownup the grappling world by surprise.

Chris Benoit killed his spouse and son and then sworn suicide in their Colony home in 2007; Benoit was 40.

Eddie Guerrero was 38 when he died of a hunch attack in 2005 after a history of alcohol and take problems.

Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig died of a cocaine overdose in 2003 at 44. That aforementioned year, archangel "Road Warrior Hawk" Hegstrand died from a hunch attack at 46. He had battled alcohol and drugs, as well as steroids.

In 1999, combatant reformer Hart, 33, was killed when he lapse from an equipment as he was existence lowered into the ring from the ceiling of Kemper Arena in river City, Mo.

The WWF prefabricated Savage their endorse after a get over Ted DiBiase in the main event at WrestleMania in 1988.

Savage had not appeared for a field grappling methodicalness since 2004, when he performed for Total Nonstop Action.

He was at nowadays both the most popular and most hated combatant in entertainment. His flying ginglymus soured the top rope was mimicked by level and backyard wrestlers everywhere. Savage prefabricated beatific use of his deep, raspy vocalise as a joint pitchman as well, for eld ordering Slim Jim fans to "Snap into a Slim Jim!"

He's most famous for his unreal rivalries with Hulk Hogan, Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair. Wrestlers took to Twitter to permit fans undergo Savage won't be forgotten.

"There's belike fivesome or six of us, with Andre (the Giant) and linksman and thankfully myself and Flair, that, when their obloquy pop up, even if you're not a fan, you undergo who in the inferno these grouping are," said past combatant and WWE uranologist of Famer Dusty Rhodes. "You say, `I undergo this guy. I undergo Macho Man Randy Savage.' He was conception of that breed. We forfeited a beatific one."

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson hailed Savage as digit of his immatureness inspirations and heroes, while Mick "Cactus Jack" Foley titled Savage "one of my favorite performers."

Hogan said he and Savage had meet started talking again after 10 years.

"He had so much chronicle in his eyes & in his spirit, I meet pray that he's happy and in a meliorate locate and we woman him," linksman wrote.

While so some personalities who mitt the WWF for WCW same Hogan, Roddy Piper and Mean Gene Okerlund were welcomed backwards to the company and even inducted into the uranologist of Fame, Savage never returned.

Rhodes said Savage had prudently ransomed his money and was noesis to rest discover of the spotlight.

"He was a recluse, almost," moneyman said by phone. "Whatever he was doing, he wanted that privacy. Yeah, he was discover of the picture for 10 years, but he didn't want to be in the picture."

Savage was a secondary association catcher in the 1970s for St. gladiator and metropolis before turning in the uniform for tights. His father, Angelo Poffo, was a longtime wrestler, and his brother, "Leaping" Lanny Poffo, was also a 1980s WWF mainstay. Condolences from fans poured in to Lanny Poffo's Facebook tender on Friday.

Funeral arrangements were not directly available.

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Follow Harry R. Weber at http://www.facebook.com/HarryRWeberAP

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AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

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