Professional wrestling star Jay Briscoe – whose real name was Jamin Pugh – has died aged 38.
Several news outlets including Sports Illustrated reported that he was killed in a car crash in Laurel, Delaware but this has not been confirmed.
Police plan to release more information about a deadly crash that occurred there on Tuesday night, a spokesperson told the BBC’s US partner CBS News.
Tony Khan, the CEO of All Elite Wrestling, announced Briscoe’s death.
“Sadly, Jamin Pugh has passed away. Known to fans as Jay Briscoe, he was a star in ROH [wrestling company Ring of Honor] for over 20 years,” he wrote on Twitter.”
“From the first show until today, Jay and his brother Mark dominated ROH, reigning as champions to this day,” he said.
Briscoe joined ROG in 2002 and was known as one of the best tag-team wrestlers in the world. He competed with his brother, Mark and the pair were known as The Briscoe Brothers.
They were 13-time ROH World Tag Team Champions and were inducted into the inaugural class of the ROH Hall of Fame last year.
World Wrestling Entertainment chief content officer Paul Levesque – better known by his ring name Triple H – called Briscoe an “incredible performer who created a deep connection with wrestling fans across the globe”.
“My condolences to the family and friends of Jay Briscoe,” he said.
Delaware police tweeted about a fatal accident Tuesday evening in the town of Laurel but did not identify the victims.
Following the incident, Laurel School District called the crash an “unthinkable tragedy” and asked the community to “keep the Pugh Family in your thoughts and prayers”.
