Mike 'Mantaur' Halac Dead, Former WWF Wrestler Died At Age 55

Mike Halac, aka the wrestler formerly known as Mantaur in WWF, has passed away aged 55. The news was shared by Eric Simms of ESS Promotions on Facebook, who had booked Mantaur to appear at an upcoming event. Simms also posted a heartfelt message for the wrestling veteran's family.

"I am sad to report that Mike Halac who played the character Mantaur has passed away. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family. We had Mike booked for 90s wrestling con sept 30 and a full weekend of bookings that weekend. RIP Mantaur."

The cause of death hasn't been confirmed at the time of this writing. According to WrestleTalk, however, Halac's daughter, Demi, revealed that he passed away peacefully in his sleep. She also took comfort in the fact that he is no longer suffering from pain.

As previously mentioned, Halac is mostly remembered for playing Mantaur during WWF's "New Generation" era — a gimmick that was considered dead on arrival due to its cartoonish nature. Billed as "half man, half beast," the character debuted in 1995 and was briefly managed by Jim Cornette. The gimmick was short-lived, but Halac did return to WWE as Tank, a member of The Truth Commission stable, in 1997. Outside of WWE, Halac also competed in ECW as Bruiser Mastino, a moniker that he carried over to the independent circuit in the late '90s and 2000s. He also competed for WCW in 1997, though his one and only appearance was in a dark match. 

Tributes have been pouring in all over social media for Halac since his death was confirmed. The team at Wrestling Inc. sends its condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, and loved ones.