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Junkyard Dog (December 13, 1952 – June 1, 1998)

Born Sylvester Ritter in Wadesboro, North Carolina, he was a professional wrestler and college football player, best known for his work in Mid-South Wrestling (during the early 1980s) and the World Wrestling Federation (from the mid to late 1980s) as the Junkyard Dog (or JYD), a nickname he received while working in a wrecking yard. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2004. Ritter entered the ring with his trademark chain attached to a dog collar, to the music of Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust, JYD became “the first black wrestler to be made the undisputed top star of his promotion,” routinely selling out major venues. JYD was most known for his headbutt and upper body strength, the latter of which saw him regularly bodyslam large wrestlers. The word “thump,” which referred to JYD’s powerslam, was prominently displayed on his wrestling trunks. After his stint with the WWF (now the WWE), Ritter wrestled with World Championship Wrestling until 1993. He finished his wrestling career in 1994 and 1995 on the indepedent circuit.

Tragically, Ritter died on June 1, 1998 in a single vehicle accident on Interstate 20 near Forest, Mississippi at age 45. He was returning home from his daughter LaToya’s high school graduation in Wadesboro (his hometown). The final footnote: LaToya also tragically died young at age 31. She had been talking on the phone to a friend October 19, 2011 when her friend heard a loud thud. Her friend called some family members to check on her fearing she had fallen down the stairs. Her brother found her unresponsive and paramedics were unable to revive her. The details of LaToya’s death had never been shared publicly. I was able to find an article about Ritter on http://www.prowrestlingstories.com which included an update from a friend of the family that stated that Ms. Ritter died of a heart attack. Doctors say that LaToya was gone “before she hit the floor” and “that she didn’t suffer.”