wrestling

PLANS for Riyadh Season 2025 have been formally announced – with WWE and darts events now on the agenda.

As part of the Middle Eastern sporting bonanza which starts this week and runs until early next year, Saudi Arabia will host the Royal Rumble, becoming the first nation outside of North America to take on a marquee WWE event.

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They are also expected to stage Wrestlemania in 2027.

The Kingdom will host the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters in January as part of the World Series of Darts.

The PDC has never taken a professional darts event to Saudi before.

Chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, announced the plans for Riyadh Season 2025 in a press conference on Sunday.

Alalshikh has previously said he wants to try something “crazy” with darts – but it is not yet clear what he has up his sleeve.

The Riyadh Season Snooker Championship remains on the calendar, along with high-profile events in tennis and boxing.

Six Kings Slam is one of the most lucrative events on the tennis circuit, with Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz all set to feature.

Players are guaranteed £1.1million just for competing, with the winner banking an eye-watering £4.5m.

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Ring IV will feature boxing showdowns including David Benavidez vs Anthony Yarde and Brian Norman Jr. vs Devin Haney.

A parade in Boulevard City will kick off Riyadh Season 2025 on October 10.

The entertainment extravaganza will feature 15 global championships as well as 34 exhibitions and festivals.

And Alalshikh estimates that its brand value has reached £2.4BILLION.

Organisers said: “Riyadh Season 2025 will be a defining milestone in the history of global entertainment, emphasising that Riyadh has become the emblem of a new era of creativity, culture, and international entertainment excellence.”

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The addition of girls flag football is helping fuel rising participation in high school sports nationally, with a record 8,260,891 boys and girls having participated in the last school year, according to the annual survey from the National Federation of State High School Assns. released on Monday.

There were 68,847 girls playing flag football, a 60% increase from the previous year.

Girls sports led the increases, including wrestling rising 15%.

Football remains the most popular boys sports at 1,001,039. Track and field tops girls sports at 513,808.

Girls flag football has been rising in popularity in Southern California. In the Los Angeles City Section, there are now more flag football teams (91) than 11-man football teams (71).

HULK Hogan has been laid to rest in a private funeral with WWE legends, celebrities, and his family attending.

Mourners appeared to be wearing a touching nod to the wrestling icon as his casket was taken into a Clearwater, Florida, church on Tuesday.

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Hogan died on July 24 aged 71 from a heart attack, but medical records showed he had a history of leukaemia.

Wrestling icons like Triple H, Stephanie McMahon attended, while celebrities like singer Kid Rock and comedian Theo Von were also present.

His ex-wife Lina, who he was married to from 1983 to 2009, was the only member of his family seen going in or out of the service.

Photos from the funeral saw pallbearers wearing yellow boutonnieres – the same colour as Hulk’s iconic wrestling outfit.

The private service was held at the same church where Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, was baptized in 2023.

The service was heavily patrolled by church security and Largo police officers, including K-9 dogs.

President Donald Trump paid tribute to the wrestler by posting a photo to his social media of the pair arm wrestling.

He said: “They are having the “Hulkster’s” funeral today, and I thought everybody would enjoy seeing this picture.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered flags flown at half-staff at all official buildings last Friday, which he declared Hulk Hogan Day in Florida.

Hogan was perhaps the biggest star in WWE’s long history, known for both his larger-than-life personality and his in-ring exploits.

He was the main draw for the first WrestleMania in 1985 and was a fixture for years, facing everyone from Andre The Giant and Randy Savage to The Rock and even WWE co-founder Vince McMahon.

Hogan had been dealing with significant health issues for months when he went into cardiac arrest at his $11.5 million mansion in Clearwater.

He had a neck surgery in May, and was rushed to the hospital afterwards over complications with his recovery.

In June, he suffered a series of health issues that left him reportedly unable to feel his legs or walk with a cane.

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Hogan was also a celebrity outside the wrestling world, appearing in numerous movies and television shows, including Hogan Knows Best, a reality show about his life on VH1.

Hogan’s body will be cremated.

His daughter Brooke Bollea Oleksy, better known by her stage name Brooke Hogan, memorialized her father in a recent social media post.

“I am so grateful I knew the real version of him. Not just the one the world viewed through a carefully curated lens, she wrote on Instagram.”

Just days before his death, Hogan and Brooke shared a short but emotional conversation, per the National Enquirer.

“It was a tearful conversation, albeit a short one,” a source told the outlet.

“Brooke told her dad how much she loved him, how much she missed him. Hulk said he loved her, and he was sorry.”

Instantly recognisable in trademark bandana and shaggy, blond handlebar moustache, Hogan had long been a larger-than-life icon for middle America.

Hogan became such a big star that he was able to transcend wrestling and starred in the movie The Rock III with Sylvester Stallone, as well as securing his own reality TV show, Hogan Knows Best.

Born Terry Gene Bollea in Augusta, Georgia, in 1953, his dad was a construction foreman father and his mum was a dance teacher.

At school, he was called a hippy because of his long hair, love of rock music and hatred of American football despite his physique.

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Hulk Hogan was wrestling royalty.

Born Terry Gene Bollea, Hogan was a WWF superstar in the 1980s and early 1990s, then experienced a career resurgence in the late ’90s with his Hollywood Hogan persona in the WCW’s New World Order stable.

With his passing Thursday morning at 71, many of the biggest names in professional wrestling paid tribute.

“I Am Absolutely Shocked To Hear About The Passing Of My Close Friend @HulkHogan!” WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Hulk Has Been By My Side Since We Started In The Wrestling Business. An Incredible Athlete, Talent, Friend, And Father! Our Friendship Has Meant The World To Me. He Was Always There For Me Even When I Didn’t Ask For Him To Be. … Hulkster, No One Will Ever Compare To You! Rest In Peace My Friend!”

WWE Hall of Fame wrestler and current Chief Content Officer Triple H wrote on X that the organization “would not be where it is today without the larger-than-life characters that compete in the ring … and few, if any, loomed larger than Terry ‘Hulk Hogan’ Bollea.”

“Hulk Hogan, clad in red and yellow or [New World Order] black and white, was simply put, iconic,” Triple H wrote. “As a Real American or the leader of one of the industry’s biggest factions, he transcended and elevated the entire business to heights never before seen — in every country and on every continent. There was no one like The Hulkster and there very well may never be another.”

Fellow Hall of Fame wrestler Kane, also known as Knox County, Tenn., Mayor Glenn Jacobs, said in a statement: “The Hulkster was integral in making professional wrestling, and specifically WWE, what it is today. While I join fans all across the world in mourning his loss, I am also grateful for the opportunities that he created for people like me and so many others in professional wrestling and entertainment.”

Another politician who is in the WWE Hall of Fame paid his respects to Hogan on Truth Social.

“We lost a great friend today, the ‘Hulkster,’” wrote President Trump, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame’s celebrity wing in 2013. “Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way — Strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart. He gave an absolutely electric speech at the Republican National Convention, that was one of the highlights of the entire week.

“He entertained fans from all over the World, and the cultural impact he had was massive. To his wife, Sky, and family, we give our warmest best wishes and love. Hulk Hogan will be greatly missed!”

Secretary of Education and former WWE President and Chief Executive Linda McMahon wrote on X: “I had the privilege of knowing and working with [Hogan] for over 40 years. Hulk was a dear friend and member of our WWE family. His legacy in and out of the ring will always be remembered. He was one of a kind! My thoughts and prayers are with his family, his friends, and all of his fans.”

Here’s how others from the world of professional wrestling are remembering Hogan on X:

— Jake “the Snake” Roberts: “It’s hard to put into words what Terry ‘Hulk Hogan’ Bollea meant to professional wrestling and entertainment. He may be gone, but his memory and legacy will live forever.”

— Sting: “HULK HOGAN – THE GREATEST OF ALL Can’t thank you enough for all that you did for me and for wrestling fans all over the world. I loved you and I will miss you. My friend, Terry Bollea, RIP.”

— The Miz: “When I was a kid I ate my vitamins, said my prayers because Hulk Hogan told me to. He was someone I looked up to; a larger-than-life presence I copied constantly growing up. The voice, flexing, charisma, he made you want to be bold, loud, confident. RIP, Hulk Hogan.”

— Charlotte Flair: “When I nearly lost my dad 8 years ago, one of the few people who was there for all of it was Hulk Hogan. My heart breaks for Nick and Brooke. Rest in peace, brother.”

— The Undertaker: “The wrestling world has lost a true legend. His contributions to our business are immeasurable and for that I am appreciative. Thank you, Hulk Hogan.”

— Sgt. Slaughter: “Saddened To Hear About The Passing of Hulk Hogan … I Guess God Needed An Incredible Angel. R.I.P. My Friend.”

— Kurt Angle: “R.I.P Hulkster, thank you for opening up doors for so many people in the business including myself. There would not be a Kurt Angle, without the American Made, Hulk Hogan. My heart and prayers go out to his family. We lost a real icon today.”

— Bubba Ray Dudley: “As a young fan, I’ll never forget the day Bob Backlund brought you out to help him. As an old pro, I will never forget how much you meant to my career. I appreciate every thing you did for me. And was happy to call you a friend…and Brother.”

Hulk Hogan, who died Thursday at 71, was a star in pro wrestling, perhaps the star, through its two biggest popularity booms in the mid 1980s and the late 1990s. But after being the biggest star in, there was a lot of controversy along the way and his career ended in a hail of boos.

Hogan burst onto the scene in the 1982 movie “Rocky III,” where he played a pro wrestler called Thunderlips, who was taking on Rocky Balboa in a match for charity. He appeared on “The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson” and caught the eye of Vince McMahon, who was planning on buying the then-World Wrestling Federation from his father and taking it nationwide, He was looking for a star to build the promotion around. Hogan was wrestling for the American Wrestling Assn. and was growing frustrated that they never gave him the promotion’s championship, which usually led to making more money.

McMahon bought the WWF and started poaching talent from around the country. Hogan signed in late 1983, breaking his AWA contract and no-showing several dates. McMahon quickly put the championship on Hogan, who came into the ring to the song “Real American,” tore off his T-shirt, told his fans to “train, say your prayers and take your vitamins,” and vowed to defeat the heel of the month because “Whatcha gonna do, King Kong Bundy or Paul Orndorff or Kamala or Roddy Piper, when Hulk Hogan and Hulkamania run wild on you.”

It was a formula for success for many years, lifting pro wrestling to the mainstream with appearances on MTV and NBC, where WWF filled in for “Saturday Night Live” every six weeks and drew better ratings, all with Hogan headlining.

In 1989, Hogan tried to branch off into movies, produced by McMahon. They all flopped. “No Holds Barred.” “Suburban Commando.” “Mr. Nanny.” The persona that worked so well in the ring did not translate onto the big screen like it later did for wrestling stars such as Dwayne Johnson and Dave Bautista.

In 1991, Dr. George Zahorian III was convicted of illegally supplying anabolic steroids. Zahorian also served as the ringside doctor for WWF matches in Pennsylvania. At his trial, it was revealed that Zahorian had supplied steroids to the WWF and its wrestlers. Hogan, hoping to end discussion that he was on steroids, appeared on “Arsenio Hall” in 1992 and said that he has only used steroids on three occasions, all under doctor’s care to rehabilitate muscle injuries.

The outcry was immediate, with wrestlers coming out to says Hogan was lying. Fans, who could see how well-built these stars were, were disillusioned that Hogan would lie. His popularity began to wane and he began to get booed at some appearances. Hogan took a leave of absence from the company.

A much-smaller Hogan returned in 1993 to team with his friend Brutus Beefcake to take on Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Schyster at WrestleMania in Las Vegas. Little did fans know that the plan was for Hogan to end the show as champion once again. When Hogan came out to aid Bret Hart, who had just lost his title to Yokozuna due to having salt thrown in his eyes, Yokozuna’s manager, Mr. Fuji, made an impromptu challenge to Hogan to wrestle him for the title “right now.” Hogan won the title in about one minute.

However, Hogan and McMahon has miscalculated the public’s desire to see Hogan again, especially in the top spot. The reaction was lukewarm at best and Hogan made sporadic appearances until losing the title to Yokozuna that summer. Hogan left WWF and started wrestling in Japan.

In 1994, Hogan signed with the now-World Wrestling Entertainment’s main rival, World Championship Wrestling. He lifted the profile of the company and drew several strong pay-per-view buy rates, but at live shows, fans seemed to be tiring of the trademark red and yellow gear and Hulkamania. WCW’s popularity was on the decline again when it was time for something no one thought they would ever see.

Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, two of WWE’s biggest stars, had signed with WCW and presented themselves as “invaders from a big wrestling company up north.” Fans had been dying to see a feud between WWE and WCW, and Nash and Hall, under the guidance of booker Eric Bischoff, were hinting that that was happening. They promised to unveil a mystery third man at the July 1996 “Bash at the Beach” show.

Nash and Hall came to the ring without the third man at that event, promising their ally would be along soon. They started wrestling Sting, Lex Luger and Randy Savage and cheated to get the upper hand, knocking Luger out and injuring Sting. They were about to destroy Savage, when Hogan walked out in the red and yellow gear. Here to save the day again.

Hulk Hogan and Dennis Rodman were briefly aligned after Hogan turned heel and started the New World Order.

(Paula Illingworth / Associated Press)

The crowd was shocked when Hogan turned on Savage and announced himself as the third man. He told the fans they could go to hell. Fans began pelting the ring with garbage as Hogan announced the formation of the New World Order.

The next week, Hogan, now wearing black and white, got pelted with garbage again. But the heel turn worked. WCW began beating WWE in the ratings for the first time. Pro wrestling was on another hot streak, being watched by more people each week (around 13 million) than at any time in history.

The hot streak lasted until 1998, when fans grew tied of the NWO. Hogan left WCW in 2000. He returned to WWE briefly and had a memorable WrestleMania match with The Rock, before leaving again in a money dispute.

Hogan made appearances with other wrestling companies after that, and even returned to WWE to be inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2005 and had what turned out to be his final match for WWE in 2007. He was signed by the TNA promotion after that to put them on the map, but never really gained any traction there.

In July 2015, many media outlets ran excerpt of racial slurs made by Hogan on a leaked sex tape recorded in 2007. In the recording, he is heard expressing disgust if his daughter ever dated a Black man, hoping that he would at least be a basketball player worth millions, dropped a racial slur toward Black people repeatedly and said he was “a racist, to a point.”

Once the recordings went public, the outrage was immediate. Hogan apologized, saying he used “language that is offensive and inconsistent with my own beliefs.” WWE removed him from its Hall of Fame and terminated the legends contract with him, though Hogan always maintained he resigned. Mattel stopped production of all toys featuring Hogan. His public appearances were few and far between and not well-received. Hogan gave an interview on ABC in which he asked for forgiveness, saying his racism was learned from his neighborhood while growing up in Tampa, Fla., and that racial slurs were commonly used there. Not many believed him.

Three years later, Hogan appeared backstage at a WWE event to give an apology to the wrestlers for his remarks. Afterward, several wrestlers expressed disappointment with Hogan, saying he didn’t apologize for the remarks but warned them instead to be careful what they say because someone could be taping them without their knowledge. The WWE reinstated him to the Hall of Fame.

Hogan began appearing on WWE shows again, but there were almost always pretaped appearances. He hosted WrestleMania 37 in 2021, and was booed. His final live appearance was Jan. 6 this year, when he appeared on the first “Monday Night Raw” on Netflix. It was at the Inuit Dome, and when Hogan came out, he was booed strongly by the crowd. Hogan seemed caught off guard, and after plugging his new beer, went backstage. He blamed the booing on his support for Donald Trump, even though others on the show who also support Trump weren’t booed when they appeared.

It was a sad ending for a man who make pro wrestling what it is today. What will Hulk Hogan be remembered for 50 years from now? It would be interesting to hop in a time machine and find out.

A TV STAR who is also a wrestler was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery.

The media personality has also been forced to pull out of matches as he sought medical advice.

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Luke Hawx, 43, – also known as Oren Hawxhurst – is an actor and professional wrestler that has appeared on several huge projects.

He appeared in films such as The Fate of the Furious and Logan with Hugh Jackman, Richard E. Grant, and Sir Patrick Stewart.

The star has also appeared in the Starz TV series Heelz, and Young Rock, where he played the legendary WWE Superstar, Stone Cold Steve Austin.

However, he’s had to pull out of future shows for the WildKat wrestling promotion as he was rushed to hospital with a serious stomach illness.

The star posted a long essay onto his Instagram account which accompanied a selfie from his hospital bed.

He wrote: “Yesterday, I took my 1st (hopefully last) ambulance ride for the 1st time in 44years.

“That being said, this isn’t a pitty post but I have some unfortunate news that I would have preferred to be private about, but, as a performer I have to be transparent to my fans who are expecting to see me at several upcoming events Im scheduled for.

“For a few weeks now I was having some stomach issues that was causing me pain & discomfort.

“I thought it was due to me excessively eating some foods I don’t normally eat. So, I cleaned up my diet and thought it was business as usual.

“As days went on, I just tolerated the pain and went on about my normal life of training hard,Weights in the morning, Conditioning in the afternoon etc.”

However, the star admitted that the pain became too much to bear and some of the other symptoms started getting worse.

He continued: “On Thursday night of this week I felt pretty rough physically, like I had a virus.

“I spent the night with terrible hot/cold flashes, sweating profusely, head pounding, and some vomiting.

“I toughed it out all night, and by Friday morning, I felt much better. So I decided to rest most of the day and rehydrate,etc.

We went to the ER. After some test, ER informed me that it was very good that I came in and didn’t wait longer.

Luke HawxInstagram

“Saturday morning, I woke up with some discomfort but decided to crush a workout the gym.

“As the day went on, my wife asked to go to the Dr because she wasn’t comfortable with how I was feeling and how long I was feeling that way for.

“I obviously argued against it and told her I was fine and it would go away eventually. She asked me to call one of my Dr friends to get their opinion, so I did that.”

He added:”My friend said he suggested I go get looked at asap, so I knew that was probably best and safest even though I wanted to continue to tough it out.

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“We went to the ER. After some test, ER informed me that it was very good that I came in and didn’t wait longer.

“Then they informed me that I needed to go into Surgery and I wouldn’t be going home. I was honestly heartbroken to hear this news.”

“I quickly called to my surgeon, who is a good friend of mine and he jumped on it right away. A few hours later, I was in Surgery. Surgery was successful and I am now recovering.”

Dwayne Johnson’s fortune explained

The wrester-turned movie star is worth a whole lot of money.

Dwayne Johnson‘s net worth has increased substantially since he began his acting career in 2001.

At the time, he had a net worth of $2M (around £3M today).

Now 21 years later, his net worth has increased to an estimated $800M (£626M).

Dwayne’s initial wealth came from competing in wrestling tournaments, with him earning $1million in 1999 (around £1.5M today).

However, his bank balance is now boosted by his acting career, TV appearances, merchandise, and his newly founded tequila company.

He launched his spirit brand, Teremana tequila, in 2020 and oversaw the development of the product while it was made in Mexico.

“It took 113 distillations to get to this point,” he said in his May 2021 interview on The Today Show. “Everything is handcrafted, handmade. Copper pot stills, brick ovens.”

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MMA icon Ben Askren is “unresponsive” in hospital after being struck down by severe pneumonia.

The former MMA and wrestling star infamously came out of retirement to face Jake Paul in a boxing match in 2021.

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Askren, a former Olympian, was active in MMA for over a decade.

News of his hospitalisation broke during UFC 316 in New Jersey on Saturday night.

Funky has not been active in the squared circle since his exhibition with Paul almost four years ago.

But he is fondly remembered in wrestling circles as one of the greatest grapplers of all time.

Askren, 40, is currently battling “a sudden and severe onset of pneumonia”.

His wife Amy penned a heartfelt update on her husband’s condition.

She wrote on Facebook: “You may have heard that my husband Ben is going through something.

“He developed severe pneumonia, which came on very suddenly.

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“He’s currently in the hospital and unable to respond to anything at this time.

“We welcome all prayers for healing and for peace.

“We are trying to keep life as normal as possible for our children currently and doing our best to support them thoughtfully, so please refrain from discussing it with them for now.”

Fans were quick to send their well wishes to the Askren family.

Former UFC champ Henry Cejudo wrote on X: “Pray for Ben Askren.”

One fan wrote: “You got this Ben, keep fighting.”

While another commented: “Wishing the best for Ben Askren and his family. Ben was an innovative and creative wrestler in his prime and now he builds up some of the best wrestlers America has ever seen. The wrestling world owes a debt of gratitude to a man like him.”

He’s currently in the hospital and unable to respond to anything at this time.

Amy Askren

Askren began wrestling at the age of just 6.

He competed for the Missouri Tigers in college, twice becoming a D1 national champion.

Askren was a member of the 2008 US Olympics wrestling team, where he lost in the quarterfinals to Cuba’s Ivan Fundora on points.

Following his Olympic adventure, the Iowa-native transitioned into MMA.

He boasted 19 wins from 22 MMA pro fights, with his first loss coming in an infamous flying kick KO by Jorge Masvidal five seconds into their bout at UFC 239.

Askren’s highly publicised boxing bout with YouTuber Paul saw 500,000 PPV buys.

Paul, then aged 24, won the bout via TKO in one minute and 59 seconds of the first round.

Terry Brunk, the professional wrestling pioneer known to fans as Sabu, has died at age 60, World Wrestling Entertainment announced Sunday.

No cause of death has been given.

The nephew of WWE Hall of Famer Ed “The Sheik” Farhat, Brunk wrestled on several circuits, including a handful of appearances with WWE (then known as World Wrestling Federation, or WWF) in 1993. He then rose to fame with Extreme Championship Wrestling, for which he was a two-time champion.

Known as an originator of hardcore wrestling, Sabu often leapt from chairs and threw his opponents through tables and barbed wire. He signed with WWE in 2006 as part of the company’s ECW revival and competed against Rey Mysterio for the world heavyweight championship and against John Cena for the WWE championship.

He and his fellow ECW Originals (The Sandman, Tommy Dreamer and Rob Van Dam) defeated the ECW’s New Breed (Elijah Burke, Kevin Thorn, Marcus Cor Von and Matt Striker) at WrestleMania 23 in Brunk’s hometown of Detroit.

Sabu left WWE in 2007 and continued to wrestle in various leagues, including All Elite Wrestling in 2023 and Game Changer Wrestling, for which he wrestled his final match last month.

“AEW and the wrestling world mourns the passing of Sabu,” AEW wrote on X. “From barbed wire battles to unforgettable high-risk moments, Sabu gave everything to professional wrestling. Our thoughts are with his family, his friends and his fans.”

GCW posted a tribute video to Sabu on YouTube.

“He was an outlaw and a gamechanger,” the organization wrote in the caption. “He inspired so many that stepped inside a GCW ring and he will continue to inspire for generations to come. His legacy will last forever and he will never be forgotten.”

Van Dam also posted a tribute to his longtime friend on X.

“Sabu was as irreplaceable in my life as he was in the industry,” the WWE Hall of Famer wrote. “You all know how important he was to my career, and you know how much he meant to me personally. He’s been a tremendous influence since I was 18 years old , when I met him.

“Learning to be an adult, while you’re in the crazy environment of this business can go several different ways. I’m proud to have been able to carry on so many of Sheik and Sabu’s values, both in and out of the ring. Sabu helped make me the wrestler I am, the person I am, and I’ll always be proud of that and grateful.”

Many others from professional wrestling paid their respects on social media. WWE star Sami Zayn wrote that Sabu belongs in the organization’s hall of fame, calling him a “one of a kind, absolute legend and a true game changer for professional wrestling.”

Longtime wrestling announcer Tony Schiavone called Sabu “an incredible talent that will obviously put someone through a table in the afterlife.”

Mysterio posted on Instagram: “Feel truly honored to have shared the same ring with you many times and even more to have called you my friend. Always had me on my toes. … You will be missed.”

Retired WWE wrestler Marc Mero wrote that Sabu “was not only a remarkable performer but also a gracious and engaging person.”

“Sabu’s wrestling style was fearless and relentless,” Mero wrote. “From his intense barbed wire battles that tested the limits of both his body and spirit, to his high-risk maneuvers that left audiences in awe, often deafening in their excitement. He truly gave it all every time he stepped into the ring. His dedication, courage, and passion for wrestling have left an indelible mark on the sport and its fans.”

Fellow retired WWE wrestler Jake “the Snake” Roberts wrote: “He was a pioneer in our business, a talented performer, and most importantly, a good man.”