WWE ring announcer Howard Finkel dies at 69

Longtime WWE ring announcer Howard Finkel has died at 69, the company confirmed on Thursday.

"When considering the greatest ring announcers in the history of sports and sports-entertainment, you'd be hard-pressed to name one better than Howard Finkel," WWE said, also remembering his "encyclopedic memory and kindness" that "made him beloved among his colleagues." No cause of death was released.

Finkel debuted as ring announcer for World Wide Wrestling Federation, which later became World Wrestling Entertainment, in 1977 and was WWE's first and longest-serving employee, the company noted. In 2009, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

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Fans and WWE personalities remembered Finkel, who was nicknamed The Fink, as one of the all-time great ring announcers and an iconic voice in the world of professional wrestling.

"Howard's voice is iconic and recognized by generations of fans," WWE's chief brand officer Stephanie McMahon said, adding this news continues a "tough week" for the company, which announced layoffs on Wednesday. "He will be missed."

Wrestlers paid tribute to Finkel on Thursday as well, with Zack Ryder calling him "the voice of my childhood" and Big E saying he "was not only an indelible part of my childhood but he couldn't have been sweeter to me any time I saw him backstage." Commentator Jim Ross also mourned "my friend, the greatest ring announcer in the biz," writing, "No one was more loyal or loved pro wrestling more than The Fink."