Ultimate Warrior, pro wrestling star, dead at 54

Warrior, who inspired a generation of pro wrestling fans with his colorful, lightning-intense character, the Ultimate Warrior, died Tuesday.

Authorities said the man who was born James Hellwig, but legally changed his name to Warrior in 1993, died after collapsing outside a Scottsdale, Ariz., hotel room -- one night after reprising his character for the first time in 18 years inside a WWE ring. He was 54.

No foul play is suspected. An autopsy will be conducted Thursday, Maricopa County authorities said.

Warrior was a professional bodybuilder before entering the wrestling business in 1985. Two years later, he joined the World Wrestling Federation -- now the WWE -- and was dubbed the Ultimate Warrior.

With his face paint and otherworldly interview style, which featured the liberal use of grunts and snorts, Warrior quickly became a sensation among the other outsized wrestling personalities of the time.

While his wrestling skills were rudimentary, Warrior won over fans before the bell rang. With the frenetic bass line of his theme song blaring over arena speakers, the Ultimate Warrior would sprint to the ring, his brightly-colored arm tassels and long, rock star hair leaving a streak on television screens.

"He had a great personality for what he did, and the people got fired up because they knew he was fired up," said Barry Darsow, who, as Demolition Smash, wrestled against and traveled with Warrior in the early 1990s. "I thought he was a super guy. It's a terrible loss to wrestling."

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In 1990, Warrior captured the WWE championship from Hulk Hogan in the main event of WrestleMania VI in front of nearly 68,000 fans in Toronto.

After a falling out with WWE chairman Vince McMahon, Warrior had little to do with wrestling for most of the past two decades, sometimes working as a motivational speaker.

A reconciliation with McMahon last year led to the release of an Ultimate Warrior DVD collection last week and his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame Saturday in New Orleans.

"We are all so sad that the Ultimate Warrior has passed away," McMahon tweeted Wednesday. "Our heart is with his wife Dana and his two daughters."

The family had been most recently living in Scottsdale, records show.

On Monday night, Warrior, donning his signature airbrushed duster, shook the ring ropes a final time on WWE's "Raw" television program, and delivered a chilling tribute to his fans.

"Every man's heart one day beats its final beat, his lungs breathe their final breath. And if what that man did in his life makes the blood pulse through the body of others . . . then his essence, his spirit will be immortalized," he said. "The spirit of the Ultimate Warrior will run forever."