Former WWE star Shad Gaspard dead at 39 after going missing at Venice Beach

Shad Gaspard, the former WWE star who went missing after going for a swim with his son in Los Angeles, has died at 39.

The Los Angeles Police Department on Wednesday confirmed a body found on the shore at Venice Beach was identified as Gaspard's, three days after he went missing, NBC News reports.

"When last seen by the lifeguard, a wave had crashed over Mr. Shad Gaspard and he was swept out to sea," authorities said. A lifeguard "was going to try to rescue both" Gaspard and his 10-year-old son, Chief Ken Haskett told NBC. "But the father, in his last few words, said, 'Save my son.'" Gaspard's son made it back to shore after Gaspard pushed him toward the lifeguard and was then "pushed back down under a wave," Haskett said.

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Outside of WWE, Gaspard also appeared in films including Get Hard and Think Like a Man Too, as well as shows such as From Dusk till Dawn: The Series and Key & Peele. WWE mourned the loss of Gaspard in a statement, remembering him as being "admired by friends and colleagues for his warmth and humor."