Roddy Piper dies at age 61

TMZ Sports is reporting that Roddy Piper, a pro wrestling legend and member of the WWE Hall of Fame, has died at the age of 61.

From the report:

Piper -- born Roderick George Toombs -- passed away from natural causes at a home in Hollywood. Piper was a wrestling icon -- one of the biggest stars in the WWE back in the '80s, and even wrestled in "Wrestlemania I" back in 1985 ... squaring off against Hulk Hogan and Mr. T. Piper had been diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2006, but last November he said he was cancer free.

Piper was an integral part of the WWE becoming what it is today, working as the heel foil to the rising star that was Hulk Hogan when Vince McMahon was using WrestleMania to create an empire.

We'll have more on this in just a bit.

UPDATE: TMZ is now reporting that Piper died of cardiac arrest in his sleep last night and was discovered today.