WWE Star Virgil Dead: Michael Jones, AKA Vincent, Reportedly Dies Peacefully At Age 61
Former WWE star Michael Jones, known to fans as Virgil, has reportedly died at the age of 61. Wrestling referee Mark Charles III, known as The Count, announced news of Jones' death in a Facebook post.
"My dear friends, it is with great sorrow that I bring news from the Jones family of the passing of our beloved Michael Jones, whom we know and loved as Virgil, Vincent, Soul Train Jones and more," the post reads. "Virgil passed peacefully at the hospital this morning and I ask that you pray for him and for his family. May his memory be eternal!"
Jones' health had deteriorated over the years. In 2022, he suffered two strokes and was diagnosed with dementia. Earlier in the year, Jones had announced he'd been diagnosed with stage II colon cancer. Late last year, Jones set up a GoFundMe, seeking aid for minor expenses.
Born on June 13, 1962, in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, Jones debuted in wrestling in 1985 under the name Soul Train Jones, primarily working for Jerry Jarrett's Continental Wrestling Association in Tennessee. He would join WWE in 1986, first working under the name Lucius Brown, before being repackaged as Virgil, Ted Dibiase's manservant, in the summer of 1987. The repackaging would launch Jones' career and also begin the trend of him being named after other figures in wrestling, with him taking the Virgil moniker as a rib towards Dusty Rhodes, whose real name was Virgil Runnels.
Jones Is Best Remembered For Runs In WWE, WCW, And AEW
Jones would serve as Dibiase's servant for nearly four years before turning on him following a tag match against Dusty and Dustin Rhodes at the 1991 Royal Rumble. The duo would have a lengthy feud throughout the rest of 1991, with Jones arguably achieving his pinnacle at the 1991 SummerSlam, where he defeated Dibiase to win the Million Dollar Championship. Following the end of the feud, Jones was relegated down the card, and eventually left WWE in 1994, though he briefly worked live events for the promotion again in 1995.
After two years on the independent scene, Jones re-emerged in the national spotlight when he joined WCW in 1996 as a member of the nWo, reuniting with Dibiase and serving as the group's bodyguard. Taking the name Vincent, a shot at WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, Jones generally served the role of the nWo's jobber until the group's initial incarnation dissolved in 1999. From there, Jones would have run with the West Texas Rednecks as Curly Bill, the bodyguard for Creative Control as Shane, a knock at Shane McMahon, and bodyguard for Ernest "The Cat" Miller as Mr. Jones, before departing WCW in late 2000.
Jones retired from wrestling after his WCW departure, though he continued to make occasional independent appearances, and even briefly returned to WWE as Virgil in 2010 to serve as Ted Dibiase Jr.'s bodyguard. In his later years, Jones became best known for his colorful personality on the convention circuit, leading to him being the subject of several memes. Jones' last notable appearances in wrestling came for AEW in 2019 and 2020 under his original name, Soul Train Jones, where he aligned with Chris Jericho's Inner Circle stable.