Tony Khan Discusses Legacy Of Late AEW Star Brodie Lee, Reflects On Tribute Show
In December 2020, AEW star Brodie Lee passed away of pulmonary fibrosis at 41 years old, with his death resulting in a wave of anguish among wrestlers and wrestling fans. Days after his death, AEW held a tribute show in his memory, resulting in one of the more beloved episodes of "AEW Dynamite" in the show's history. Speaking with Forbes ahead of tonight's six-year anniversary edition of "Dynamite," Tony Khan reflected on the impact Lee left on everyone at AEW and around the wrestling world.
"We're very proud of Mr. Brodie Lee and Jon Huber and what he brought to AEW," Khan said. "Jon was a great guy in a wonderful family, and he loved wrestling. And it's a testament to Jon Huber, and Brodie Lee as a wrestler, that the first two things anybody's going to say about this guy are he loved his family, and he loved wrestling, and the wrestlers and people that he worked with."
Khan praised Lee for helping invigorate the company in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when AEW was holding shows with a limited live audience at Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida. Looking back on the tribute show held in the wake of Huber's death, Khan still feels they succeeded at honoring the wrestler's legacy.
"I think that's the singular best event in AEW history," he stated.
The Brodie Lee Celebration of Life episode of "Dynamite" took place on December 30, 2020 at Daily's Place. It included five tag team matches featuring people who knew and worked with Lee, and ended with Lee's wife and two children being awarded a special TNT Championship belt before a tribute video played to close out the show.