Former WWE star known as The Genius dead at 68

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.

“WWE is saddened to learn that Lanny Poffo, best known to sports-entertainment fans as The Genius, passed away at 68 years of age,” WWE said in a statement.

“The son of Angelo Poffo and younger brother of WWE Hall of Famer “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Lanny Poffo had a style all his own. Arriving in WWE in 1985 alongside his brother, “Leaping” Lanny Poffo was one of the first high-flyers in WWE. While he achieved some success as a fan favorite reading his own poetry and throwing Frisbees to 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 out their condolences to Poffo’s family.

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“With a very, very heavy heart, I’ve been asked to let everyone know about the passing of our friend and colleague Lanny Poffo, The Genius,” Duggan wrote on Twitter. “RIP Lanny.”

All Elite Wrestling also tweeted its condolences as well.

“AEW joins the wrestling world in mourning the passing of Lanny Poffo. Our thoughts are with his family, his friends and his fans,” the company wrote.

Poffo, who was also known as “Leaping” Lanny Poffo, was the real-life brother of the “Macho Man.” He got his start in the industry through the All-South Wrestling Alliance in 1974 and worked his way up through the territories and eventually made his way to the World Wrestling Federation (later known as WWE).

He went through a handful of feuds during his time in WWE, including having a Saturday Night’s Main Event XXIV match against Hulk Hogan.

Poffo would later appear in WWE in 2015 to induct Savage into the Hall of Fame. He also was a valet for Jay Lethal in 2018 during the wrestler’s championship match in Ring of Honor.