Edward "Eddie" Fatu, Umaga, RIP

had never heard of this person until tonight, sad story



Edward "Eddie" Fatu (March 28, 1973 - December 4, 2009) was a Samoan-American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Umaga. He was best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a two-time Intercontinental Champion.

He was a member of the Anoa'i wrestling family and frequently worked as a part of a tag team " variously named The Island Boyz, the Samoan Gangstas, and 3-Minute Warning " with his cousin Matt Anoa'i.

Fatu was released from his WWE contract on June 8, 2009, after failing a Drug Wellness Policy for the second time and refusing to seek rehabilitation.

Fatu was born in American Samoa, a member of the famous Anoa'i wrestling family. His mother, Vera, was the sister of Afa and Sika of the Wild Samoans, and his later Umaga gimmick would be compared to their "wildness". His two older brothers, Sam (better known as Tonga Kid and Tama) and Solofa Jr. (better known as Rikishi), are also professional wrestlers who have achieved success of their own. Dwayne Johnson, known in wrestling as The Rock, is his cousin.

Articles posted by Sports Illustrated, the New York Daily News, and The Washington Post during the weekend of August 30, 2007, named Fatu as one of a number of superstars to have purchased pharmaceuticals from an online pharmacy,a violation of the WWE "Talent Wellness" program. Fatu specifically was said to have received somatropin, a growth hormone, between July and December 2006, after the "No drugs from online sources" rule was instituted. Fatu has since violated this rule again and due to his unwillingness to seek rehabilitation, was released from his WWE contract.

On April 27, 2008, Fatu's mother Vera died after a seven year battle with cancer.

On December 4, 2009, Fatu was hospitalized in what was described as a life-threatening condition, after he apparently fell asleep on December 3, while watching television, and several hours later, his wife found him not breathing with blood coming out of his nose and he was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital in Houston, Texas, where he was placed in the ICU unit. It was speculated that Fatu had suffered a massive heart attack and was on life support, until the decision was made to take him off of life support. It was reported that Fatu passed away around 6:00 PM EST, after suffering a second heart attack; he was 36 years old.