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WWE
is saddened by the news that Matt Osborne, aka the
original Doink the Clown, has passed away.
A rugged brawler in
promotions like Mid-South Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling,
Osborne
made a major impact in WWE under the greasepaint of a prankster
named Doink —
one of the most enduring persona's of the early ’90s. Photo
courtesy of wwe.com
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Matt Osborne, pro wrestling's Doink the
Clown, dies at 55
latimes.com
Matt Osborne -- who as the original Doink the Clown brought delight and
probably more than a little terror to professional wrestling fans
everywhere -- has died at age 55.
NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth is reporting that Osborne died in a local
hospital after his girlfriend found him unresponsive inside their
Plano, Texas, apartment. There was no word on the cause of death,
although investigators are saying it appears to be accidental.
On its website, the WWE called Osborne's character "one of the most
enduring personas of the early ’90s."
According to his WWE bio, Doink started as a villain, delighting in
tricks that made children cry, such as squirting them in the face with
water from fake flowers. But he was also a force to be reckoned with in
the ring, with his defining moment perhaps coming in Wrestlemania IX,
when two Doinks somehow showed up to attack Crush.
But Doink mellowed in his later years, taking pleasure in making
children smile and facing off with villains in the ring, with the help
of his sidekick Dink.
According to WebProNews, Osbourne started wrestling on the independent
circuit back in 1978, then moved on to World Class Championship
Wrestling (WCCW) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW), before joining
the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) in 1992.
While other people have toured as Doink, Osborne was the first to
grease up his face and enter the ring with the circus music blaring. He
was fired by the WWE for repeat drug offenses in 1996, WebProNews said,
but eventually made his way back onto the independent wrestling circuit.
On his Facebook page the day before his death, Osborne expressed
excitement over his busy summer ahead. Fans are now using the comment
section on that post to pay honor to the beloved prankster and the man
who made him famous.
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