Former WWE Referee Tim White Passes Away At 68

By Robert Gunier

WWE has announced that one of their long-time referees, Tim White, has passed away at the age of 68.

White spent decades working as a referee for the company, first debuting in 1985 and working his way up to major matches like the Hell in a Cell bout between Undertaker and Mankind at "King of the Ring" 1998. He was often booked as the main event referee until suffering a shoulder injury at "Judgment Day" 2002 during another HIAC match between Chris Jericho and Triple H.

White would eventually return to his preferred role in WWE, but at "WrestleMania XX" in 2004, during the match between Chris Jericho and Christian, he re-injured his shoulder during the final three-count of the match. Due to the recurrence of the should injury, he had to leave behind the role of refereeing for good and began a career as a backstage official and talent agent.

White's final on-screen appearance was his role in the Andre the Giant episode of WWE's "Hidden Treasures" series on A&E. He had developed an extremely close relationship with Andre at the genesis of his career in the 1980s, positioned as the handler for Andre as they were traveling. He became one of his closest friends and worked all over the world with the WWE Hall of Famer as he experienced major WWF moments and filmed "The Princess Bride". With such a close bond, he was a natural choice to interview for the HBO documentary "Andre The Giant" that released in 2018

WWE issued the following regarding White's passing:

WWE is saddened to learn that long-time referee Tim White has passed away.

For more than two decades, Tim White was a dedicated WWE referee and official. White began his illustrious career in 1985 working with Andre the Giant and as a part-time referee.

During his tenure, he was the referee for some of WWE's biggest matches, including the infamous Hell in a Cell Match between Undertaker and Mankind at King of the Ring 1998.

A shoulder injury effectively ended White's in-ring career, but White still remained a major part of WWE working behind the scenes as an official and talent agent until 2009.

WWE extends its condolences to White's family, friends and fans.

We here at Wrestling Inc. offer our deepest condolences to the White family, as well as friends and co-workers of Tim White.

WWE superstars and former colleagues are responding to the news quickly, showing how much of an impact White had on the people in his life.

 

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