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Incredibly sad news from the world of professional wrestling, specifically fans of classic WWF and WWE wrestling.
Legendary ring announcer and WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel has passed away at the age of 69.
The sad news of Finkel’s passing comes just a day after WWE announced massive layoffs and furloughs and continues a rough month for the company.
WWE reported the news on its official website. As of right now, no official cause of death has been stated.
A native of Newark, NJ, “The Fink” was a fixture on WWF programming in the early days, lending his voice not only to in-ring competition but doing voice-over work on countless WWF/WWE shows over the years.
Finkel made his ring announcing debut at Madison Square Garden in 1977 for WWE’s predecessor, WWWF.
By 1979, Finkel was the full-time ring announcer for WWWF. “The Fink” became the first, and eventually longest-serving, employee of the WWF.
In addition to his legendary tenure as a ring announcer, The Fink was an indispensable resource inside the WWE offices for his vast knowledge of sports-entertainment history. Well respected by current Superstars, WWE Legends and Hall of Famers, Finkel’s encyclopedic memory and kindness made him beloved among his colleagues. The Fink was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 4, 2009.
Finkel returned as CM Punk’s personal ring announcer at the 2011 Survivor Series.
Friends and coworkers are taking to social media to memorialize the WWE legend.
Rest in Peace Howard Finkel.
Greatest ring announcer of all time.
Historian and walking wrestling encyclopedia.
Hall of Famer.
Loyal.
Great friend.
Love you Fink. pic.twitter.com/tqvVq6gMeR— Bruce Prichard (@bruceprichard) April 16, 2020
So sad to hear of the passing of my friend, the greatest ring announcer in the biz, Howard Finkel, at the age of 69.
The Hall of Famer is now ring announcing in Heaven. #RIPFink
No one was more loyal or loved pro wrestling more than The Fink. 🙏
— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) April 16, 2020
I'm absolutely gutted over the passing of Howard Finkel. Another voice of my childhood has been silenced. Such a sweet, sweet man. I'll miss our conversations about wrestling and Rock N Roll. This ABSOLUTELY sucks. Love ya Fink! pic.twitter.com/eAX0cOktda
— Brian Heffron aka The Blue Meanie (@BlueMeanieBWO) April 16, 2020
Fink, you’ll always be number 1. RIP my friend.
— Eric Bischoff (@EBischoff) April 16, 2020
God Bless ya Fink. 🙏
Thanks for the childhood memories.
Thanks for always being on our side.
Thanks for being a friend. pic.twitter.com/33UCOChwPc— Bully Ray (@bullyray5150) April 16, 2020
Im crushed
I lost my friend today
I saw him once a month
The Voice of Wrestling
I loved him so much
The Fink pic.twitter.com/EOWmADTkjO— Tommy Dreamer (@THETOMMYDREAMER) April 16, 2020
On a personal note, I was lucky enough to be on hand at a friend’s wedding when Howard Finkel made a special appearance and announced the wedding party after the cocktail hour. It was truly awesome.
Rest in peace to a wrestling legend.
[via WWE.com]