WWE Hall Of Famer Pat Patterson Has Passed Away Aged 79

WWE Hall of Famer and the first-ever Intercontinental Champion Pat Patterson has passed away at the age of 79.

2020 has been a rough year for pretty much everyone, and no matter how close to the end of it we get, the hits just keep on coming. In the wrestling world, today might mark the saddest piece of news we have had to report so far this year. That the legendary WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson has passed away at the age of 79 following a battle with cancer.

Reports that Patterson had passed away started to circulate online early Wednesday morning and were seemingly confirmed when TSN690 Montreal radio host Tony Marinaro revealed he had received a text confirming the news. Podcast host Conrad Thompson also posted some shots from Patterson's career at around the same time, minutes after tweeting nothing more than a sad face.

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Patterson apparently passed away in a Miami hospital on Wednesday morning following a battle with cancer, although it is unclear at this time what the official cause of death was. As for Patterson's legacy in the wrestling business, his career will be remembered for a long time for a number of reasons.

Most notably, Patterson was the first man to ever hold the Intercontinental Title. The title was first introduced in 1979 via a fictional tournament that Patterson "won". He would get the IC Title off to the start that it deserved. More than 40 years later, it is still a key part of WWE and has been held by just about every top star to have passed through the company including The Rock, Stone Cold, Shawn Michaels, and Roddy Piper.

Another part of Patterson's legacy will be his efforts to make the wrestling locker room more accepting of homosexuality. Patterson was one of the first-ever openly gay wrestlers, officially coming out to his fans and his peers during an emotional moment on WWE Network show Legends House. There is so much more Patterson will be remembered for, and far too much for us to list here. RIP Pat, you have left a mark on the wrestling business that will never be forgotten.

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