The pro wrestling world has lost one of its most infamous characters. New Jack (real name Jerome Young) died Friday. He was 58.
Young’s death was confirmed on his Facebook page. He reportedly suffered a heart attack in his native North Carolina.
The character name was a nod to the 1991 movie “New Jack City.” Extreme violence and erratic behavior in and out of the ring became Jack’s signatures after he moved to ECW in the mid-’90s. The short version of the carnage: He was arrested twice after cutting opponents during matches and almost killed an opponent when he threw him off scaffolding high above the ring.
Those incidents were covered in a 2020 episode of Vice’s “Dark Side of the Ring” documentary series.
Here’s a short video and still compilation of what made New Jack, New Jack. (WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES AND OBSCENE LANGUAGE AHEAD.)
RIP #NewJack . Endless charisma. One of the best promos of all-time. And completely fearless. I can’t tell you how many hours of his shoot interviews I’ve listened to over the years, second maybe only to Cornette. pic.twitter.com/jR8hoOH0vN
— steve vineis (@stevevineis) May 15, 2021
Young had a lasting impact on the game, as evidenced by some of the notable remembrances that reached Twitter:
Fearless and passionate performer. My condolences & prayers to the family of New Jack. #RIPNewJack
— taz (@OfficialTAZ) May 15, 2021
I’ve shared a few locker rooms with New Jack. He was always so cool and respectful to me. You have no idea how grateful I was for that!! Truly saddened to hear of his passing. Sending his family, friends, all his loved ones so much of my prayers, love, & strength. #RIPNewJack
— Mickie James~Aldis (@MickieJames) May 15, 2021
Just landed in Baltimore and heard the news of new jack. I just seen him at the airport last Sunday walking with his face mask that said new jack and he stopped and we chatted for about 45 mins. Never take a day for granted
— The Cowboy (@JamesStormBrand) May 14, 2021