Bray Wyatt speaks during a press conference after the WWE Royal Rumble at the Alamodome in San Antonio on January 28, 2023.
CNN  — 

Bray Wyatt, a professional wrestler and former World Wrestling Entertainment champion, died on Thursday, the company announced. He was 36 years old.

WWE did not immediately release the location or cause of death, but said it was unexpected.

Wyatt, whose real name was Windham Rotunda, was the son of WWE Hall of Fame wrestler Mike Rotunda.

“Our thoughts are with his family and we ask that everyone respect their privacy at this time,” Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE’s chief content officer, said on social media.

Wyatt became WWE Champion in 2017 and wrestled as multiple characters during his career, including as a member of The Wyatt Family and as a nightmarish masked alter ego called The Fiend.

“Im heartbroken over the news of Bray Wyatt’s passing,” actor and former wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson said on social media. “Always had tremendous respect and love for him and the Rotunda family.”