‘Leaping’ Lanny Poffo, wrestling star and younger brother of ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage, dies at 68

Retired wrestling star Lanny Poffo has died at the age of 68, WWE legend ‘Hacksaw’ Jim Duggan revealed Thursday. A cause of death has not been released.

“It is with a very, very heavy heart that I have been asked to inform everyone of the passing of our friend and colleague Lanny Poffo, The Genius,” Duggan wrote on social media. ‘RIP Lanny.’

The real-life younger brother of ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage and son of another wrestler, Angelo Poffo, Lanny got his start in the All-South Wrestling Alliance in the mid-1970s. But it was in 1985 with WWE, then known as the WWF, that the young Poffo had his big break.

First known as ‘Leaping Lanny Poffo,’ the Illinois native would turn around in the late 1980s by adopting a new persona, ‘The Genius,’ who frequently insulted fans through poetry.

Outside of the ring, Poffo became an ardent advocate of smoking and published books of his poetry warning children about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

He later became involved in podcasting and was a frequent participant at various wrestling events and conventions.

‘LANNY POFFO, MY BROTHER’, began a tweet in capital letters from the former wrestler Iron Sheik. ‘I LOVE YOU FOREVER. GIVE [the late] Nikolai [Volkoff,] HORNY [Savage,] AND ELIZABETH [Hulette] HUG FOR ME.’

-Lanny Poffo. The genius. Man. So sorry bro,’ tweeted another fighter, Virgil (aka: Michael Jones). I love you and Randy more than you will ever know. RIP.’

Poffo is remembered for popularizing wrestling in the 1980s, when the once regionalized show became a national sensation with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Savage and Andre the Giant.

Later, he served as the manager of the Beverly Brothers when they beat beloved tag team, The Bushwackers.

Poff hopped around the WWF, WCW, and various independent circuits for the rest of his career, later inducting his late brother into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015.