PORTLAND — The family of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper asked fans to observe a moment of silence as his friends and relatives gathered for a memorial Tuesday.
The kilt-wearing trash-talker who headlined the first WrestleMania died of cardiac arrest on July 31 at his California home. He was 61.
His family held a private funeral Tuesday in the Portland area, where he maintained a home. They asked fans around the world to join them in a moment of silence as the service began at 10:30 a.m. The service coincided with a Tuesday night WWE SmackDown show at Portland’s Moda Center.
Born Roderick Toombs, Piper rose to fame in the 1980s as he battled Hulk Hogan. Though Canadian, he often appeared in a kilt and came to the ring blowing bagpipes in a nod to his Scottish heritage.