Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka - one of the biggest stars of professional wrestling in the 1980s - has died less than two weeks after homicide charges against him were dropped.

Snuka - aged 73 - died at his son-in-law's home in Florida, surrounded by family and friends, according to his lawyer Robert Kirwan.

He had been in hospice care after battling dementia and other illnesses.

On 3 January he had been ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial over the death of his girlfriend Nancy Argentino in 1983.

Fijian-born Snuka - known for his high-flying moves in the ring - had been suspected of involvement in the 23-year-old's death for years but was not charged until 2015.


Our family @TaminaSnuka asked me to share the sad news that her dad Jimmy Snuka has just passed away. Alofa atu i le aiga atoa. #RIPSuperfly — Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) January 15, 2017

Prosecutors said she had been found with head injuries in their shared motel room in Allentown, Pennsylvania, shortly before she died.

Snuka was charged - pleading not guilty to third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter - after a newspaper found an unpublished autopsy that said the death should have been investigated as a homicide.

Actor and former wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson announced the death on Twitter on behalf of Snuka's daughter Tamina - herself a well-known WWE star.

He wrote: "Our family @TaminaSnuka asked me to share the sad news that her dad Jimmy Snuka has just passed away."

Tamina posted a photo of her holding hands with her father and wrote simply: "I LOVE YOU DAD."

At the peak of his fame Snuka was known for his "Superfly Splash" - a dive from the top rope onto the chest of an opponent lying on the mat.

He was involved in the main event of the first WrestleMania in 1985 and was a member of the WWE Hall of Fame alongside stars such as Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant and "Nature Boy" Ric Flair.

In a statement on its website, the WWE said it was saddened to learn of his death and hailed him as "the pioneer of high-flying offense" in the ring.