Josh Barnett

USA TODAY Sports

Legendary professional wrestler and WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, who thrilled fans for decades with his splash from the top rope as one of the original high flyers, died Sunday. He was 73.



His daughter, who wrestles under the name Tamina Snuka, posted on Instagram with the hashtag #BestDad to announce Snuka’s death.

The family did not release a cause of death, although Snuka had extensive surgery after being diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2015 and has been in declining health.

Snuka, who was from the Fiji Islands, had three stints with World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996.

Snuka most famously feuded with Magnificent Muraco. Snuka’s leap off the top of the steel cage onto Muraco in October 1983 at Madison Square Garden is among the most iconic images in pro wrestling history.

Snuka also is noted for his 1984 feud with Rowdy Roddy Piper, which included Piper making fun of Snuka’s South Pacific heritage by hitting him over the head with a coconut. Snuka would be in the corner of Hulk Hogan and Mister T for their tag team match against Piper and Paul Orndorff at the original 1985 WrestleMania.

His WrestleMania history also includes being the first opponent of The Undertaker, who would go on to win 21 consecutive matches at the company's biggest show of the year. His last WrestleMania match was in a legends match with Ricky Steamboat and Piper against Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania 25.



Snuka also wrestled in Eastern Championship Wrestling, the AWA, TNA, WCW, and other independent organizations and was in the ring as recently as 2015.



His death comes two weeks after murder charges were dropped because of his health in the death of his girlfriend in 1983. Charges were filed in Pennsylvania in September 2015 after prosecutors reopened the case following a plea from Nancy Argentino’s family.



Snuka was moved to hospice care in Florida last fall and given six months to live, his lawyer Robert Kirwan II told the court in December in a hearing to re-evaluate whether Snuka was competent to stand trial, according to the Allentown Morning Call. At the time, his wife told the judge that the family was struggling to keep him from leaving home during episodes of psychosis because he thinks he is late for a match.



The judge ruled in June that Snuka was not competent to stand trial because of dementia and other health issues, but the charges remained in place until they were dismissed this month.



Snuka was charged with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. Argentino’s body was found in a hotel room in Whitehall Township, Pa., and the coroner determined she had a skull fracture. Snuka had said she died in a fall, although his version has changed over the years in various retellings.



After the charges were initially filed, WWE suspended Snuka’s legends contract and removed his page from the Hall of Fame portion of its website. The company, along with others in the pro wrestling community, reacted to his death on Twitter.