If that headline scared you, we’d tell you straight off the bat: the ‘Nature Boy’ is quite alive. Woooo! The news of Ric Flair’s death is greatly exaggerated.
It is true, however, that the legendary wrestler was hospitalized earlier this week. There was also a nasty rumour of Ric Flair’s death floating around, but it was just a hoax.
Who started Ric Flair’s death rumour?
A parody account of WWE, @WWEUmiverse, started the rumour about Ric Flair’s death. And from there on, well… You do know how social media works, right?
The whole thing just caught fire, received plenty of social media attention. The rumour even managed to trick some members of the media into believing Ric Flair was dead.
Thankfully, his family clarified to the media that Ric Flair was alright, and the situation was not grave or serious.
Update from Flair’s family
Podcast host Conrad Thompson, Ric Flair’s son-in-law, released a statement to the media. He assured fans of Flair’s well being. He informed the media that Flair’s visit to the hospital was planned in advance and not an emergency one.
BREAKING NEWS: @WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair has passed away at age 70. pic.twitter.com/gTPjZgC677
— WWE (@WWEUmiverse) May 16, 2019
According to Thompson, Flair had the option to undergo surgery now or after attending the Starrcast II convention in Las Vegas. Since Flair was feeling good, he wanted to go through surgery before he went to Vegas. Flair’s wife, Wendy Barlow, also put out a statement, confirming Thompson’s version. She assured fans that Ric Flair would make a full recovery post the surgical procedure.
Previous Health Scare
There were good reasons to worry for WWE fans. This is because it hasn’t been even two years since his last life-threatening scare. At the time, Flair had developed many internal complications, including severe kidney failure, and the chances of his survival were slim.
Because of these complications, he had to undergo an emergency colon surgery among other medical procedures. The doctors even had to remove his bowels during the process. But the ‘Nature Boy’ isn’t one to stay down for the count. Flair made a miraculous recovery following the emergency procedure.
The fact that Flair survived the procedure and even managed to return to WWE afterward stands only to reaffirm the man’s never-say-die spirit.
