Former pro wrestler Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka has died at age 73. The Fiji native who previously lived in Camden County, New Jersey, was a WWF legend known for diving from the ropes.
On Twitter, former WWE star and actor Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson wrote,
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.”
He died just weeks after Pennsylvania judge Kelly Banach dismissed the murder case against him. At a hearing to re-evaluate Snuka’s mental health last month, his wife told the judge that the family struggles to keep him from leaving home during psychotic episodes in which he thinks he’s late for a wrestling match.
Banach took time to review Snuka’s medical records before ruling. The judge had ruled last summer that Snuka was not competent to stand trial after his attorney argued the ex-athlete suffers from dementia, partly due to the head trauma sustained over his career.
He was charged in 2015 with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the death of Nancy Argentino, whose body was found in 1983 in their Whitehall Township hotel room. Prosecutors allege she was beaten, while Snuka had maintained his innocence till he died stating she died from a fall. Authorities reopened the investigation after The Morning Call newspaper raised questions about the case in 2013.
