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.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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."
-
August 31 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include FEMA's new scheme, Gavin Newsom's antics, and a clue in the Epstein files
-
Disarming Hezbollah: Lebanon's risky missionTalking Point Iran-backed militia has brought 'nothing but war, division and misery', but rooting them out for good is a daunting and dangerous task
-
Woof! Britain's love affair with dogsThe Explainer The UK's canine population is booming. What does that mean for man's best friend?
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
