Matt Cappotelli, who appeared on WWE and the reality series Tough Enough, has died. Deadline reports Cappotelli was battling cancer for a year before he succumbed to the illness. He was 38.
Cappotelli participated in the third season of Tough Enough, which gave winners a chance to join the WWE. Cappotelli and John Hennigan aka Johnny Nitro won. During the series, Cappotelli revealed himself to be a survivor since he beat a brain tumor at 11 years old. Since then, he's gotten regular check-ups, including an MRI scan in February 2017. But a few months later, after having headaches and "seizure activity," his wife Lindsey Cappotelli, revealed in a blog post that doctors discovered brain cancer.
"Today my love-my strong, sweet, beautiful love-took his last breath at 3:30 a.m. and went Home to be with Jesus…exactly one year after his brain surgery," she wrote. "You think you can be prepared for this when you know it’s coming, but you just can’t. The only person whose comfort I want right now is the one who can’t give it to me."
"I miss him so much," she continued. "I know where he is now is so much better, but it doesn’t change how much I miss him."
Cappotelli, who went by the name The Flava in the ring, started his professional wrestling career in 2003 and retired in 2007. Since the announcement of his death, the WWE shared a statement on Twitter.
"WWE is saddened to learn that Matt Cappotelli, a promising Superstar who was a co-winner of WWE Tough Enough III, passed away Friday at age 38," it read. They also shared a throwback clip of when Cappotelli was named the winner of Tough Enough.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1012855890507124737
