British wrestling icon Adrian Street dies, aged 82

Mayer Nissim
·2 min read
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adrian street
British wrestling icon Adrian Street dies, aged 82Mirrorpix - Getty Images

British wrestling icon Adrian Street has died at the age of 82.

The Welsh superstar passed away this morning (July 31) at Cwmbran's Grange University Hospital, his family confirmed.

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Adrian had recently undergone brain surgery, BBC News reports.

"He'd had a heart problem a while ago which was resolved," said his wife Linda.

"But then he had a stroke earlier this month which resulted in a bleed on the brain."

She added: "He was recovering from that at home when he developed colitis - a chronic inflammatory bowel disease - which later turned into sepsis. That's what killed him.

"It all came about so quick. I've still not come to terms with it yet."

Street was born on December 5, 1940 in Brynmawr in Brecknockshire, the son of a coal miner.

He was a teenage bodybuilder who, inspired by pioneering US wrestlers like Lou Thesz and Buddy Rogers, became a professional wrestler when still a teenager.

Working as 'Exotic' Adrian Street, Adrian's character was androgynous with an ambiguous sexuality, who would sometimes kiss his opponents or put make up on them when they were incapacitated.

Street met his future manager and real-life wife Linda Hawker in 1969, and she was known as Miss Linda in her role as his in-ring valet.

Following his successful run in the UK and across Europe, Street first worked in the US in the early 1980s.

Over the years his cult status has endured, and an iconic image of Street in ring gear and full makeup posing alongside his father at the Blaenau Gwent coal mine was used as the front cover of Black Box Recorder's debut England Made Me album in 1988.

Catch up on Raw, Smackdown, NXT and all the big WWE action via the WWE Network or BT Sport.

Share your memories of Adrian Street with us at @digitalspywwe.

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