“The Genius” Lanny Poffo Passes Away at Age 68

Former WWE wrestler “The Genius” Lanny Poffo passed away on Thursday at the age of 68.

Poffo’s passing was first announced by WWE Hall of Famer Hacksaw Jim Duggan on Facebook. The cause of death for Poffo was not given.

With a very, very heavy heart, I’ve been asked to let everyone know about the passing of our friend and colleague Lanny Poffo, The Genius.

RIP Lanny

Following his passing, WWE issued an official statement on Twitter.

WWE is saddened to learn that Lanny Poffo, best known to sports-entertainment fans as The Genius, passed away at 68 years of age.

WWE extends its condolences to Poffo’s family, friends and fans.https://t.co/1NMadfd4ZG

— WWE (@WWE) February 2, 2023

Poffo’s career in wrestling spanned from 1974 to 2022 and was most known for being the real life brother of WWE Hall of Famer “Macho Man” Randy Savage and his time in WWE under the ring names of Leaping Lanny and The Genius. Besides WWE, Poffo’s career also included notable stints in the National Wrestling Alliance, Mid-South Wrestling, International Championship Wrestling, and WCW.

In an interesting wrestling history tidbit, Poffo had been planned at one point to work as a heel under the famous ring name of Gorgeous George during his time in WCW but these plans never came to fruition. Poffo’s brother had purchased the rights to this name and offered the character to Poffo for his career in the company since he felt it would be a good fit for Poffo as a heel.

Among his notable accolades and achievements during his career included being a one time NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Champion, three time ICW Heavyweight Champion, and two-time NWA Detroit World Tag Team Champion.