WWE.com has reported that Bill Moody, also known as Paul Bearer and Percy Pringle, has passed away.

Some of you are aware that I am a huge pro wrestling fan and have been since the days of Hulkamania.  I love wrestling.  I find it very entertaining.  But this is not the place for me to defend my love of wrestling.  I don’t feel that I should have to, anyway

Paul Bearer was the manager for three of my favorite wrestlers (at different times): The Undertaker, Kane, and Mankind (Mick Foley, to whom her gave his infamous “I don’t wanna suck it, Uncle Paul” rant).  He was famous for his creepy, ghostly falsetto, which was the perfect counterpoint to the Undertaker’s growl and rasp.

From what I’ve heard, he has been ill for some time.  At one point he was up to 525 pounds.  He had a gastric bypass, and lost a lot of weight, but he was still near 300.

He hasn’t appeared much on WWE in the past few years.  I think his last appearance was last year, where Kane left him tied up in a freezer (I never said that wrestling wasn’t silly).

And so I raise an urn in toast to the man whose voice creeped me out, Paul Bearer.  May you forever cut promos in Heaven.

Paul Bearer with the Undertaker, back when Taker had hair