The Canadian sportsman passed away from natural causes in Hollywood on Friday (31Jul15), according to TMZ.com.

Born Roderick George Toombs, he was nicknamed 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper and rose to fame in the 1980s as one of the biggest stars in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) organisation.

He took part in WrestleMania I back in 1985 and faced off against Hulk Hogan and Mr. T, and after racking up 34 championships, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.

Piper also moved into acting, landing starring roles in John Carpenter film They Live in 1988 and in Hell Comes to Frogtown.

On TV, his credits included 1994's RoboCop: The Series, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia in 2009 and Cold Case in 2010.

He also featured in Cyndi Lauper's music video for the track The Goonies 'R' Good Enough.

Piper was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2006, but revealed he was cancer-free in November (14).

He is survived by his wife Kitty and their four kids, including wrestler son Colton.