Pat Patterson

WWE Hall of Famer’s first gay superstar bid goodbye at the age 79. The news was announced by WWE, where Patterson was named as a “true trailblazer of the industry”, according to a report by People Magazine.

His real name was Pierre Clermont, and he was born on January 19, 1941. He was a World Wrestling Federation Champion and an NDA World Tag Team Champion. His wrestling career was launched in 1958 in Montreal where he was known as Pretty Boy. He eventually joined WWE in the 1970s. Pat once mentioned that he only spoke French when he moved to the U.S. One of his memorable matches was in 1981 with Sgt. Slaughter — the match, to both Patterson’s and Slaughter’s credit, had been awarded by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter as the Match of the Year. Upon his retirement, he continued to work for the WWE as a commentator and confidante for WWE CEO Vince McMahon.