Legendary Mexican wrestler Rey Misterio Sr., also known as Miguel Angel Lopez Diaz, passed away at the age of 66, his family announced on Saturday.
Misterio Sr., the uncle of renowned World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar Rey Mysterio, was instrumental in shaping Mexican wrestling.
Before his ‘untimely’ demise, Misterio Sr. was associated with Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, a top lucha wrestling promotion.
"We regret to inform the untimely death of Miguel Angel Lopez Diaz, known as Rey Misterio Sr.," read the promotion’s translated statement.
"We send our most sincere condolences to his loved ones and raise our prayers to heaven for his eternal rest."
Tributes poured in by wrestling fraternity for the late wrestler, who was a mentor to many top lucha wrestlers currently, including Mysterio Jr.
However, WWE star Mysterio, who was gifted his iconic name by his late uncle, is yet to comment on the development but his son, Dominik Mysterio shared a heartfelt tribute by sharing pictures of Misterio Sr., captioned with a black heart emoji.
Notably, Misterio Sr. is considered the cornerstone in the early success Lucha Libre AAA, where he claimed multiple titles.
Although, Rey Misterio Sr. never competed in the WWE, he was seen as a respected figure in the sport.
In his glittering career, Misterio Sr. achieved remarkable success, the highlight of which was an astounding 2374-day reign as the Pro Wrestling Revolution Tag Team Champion, holding WWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Champion for 719 days and winning the WWA World Tag Team Championship with Rey Mysterio Jr. in 1995.
He had brief stints with World Championship Wrestling (WCW), now taken over by the WWE, in 1990 and 1999.