Celebrity Biographies
Roddy Piper
El Gaitero, was an old acquaintance of fans of American Wrestling, and of the Spanish program on this discipline “Pressing Catch”. In his matches, he appeared dressed as a Scotsman, with a bagpipe, although in reality… he was Canadian! In cinema, he starred in “They are alive”, by John Carpenter, in 1988. Roddy Piper died in his sleep, as a result of a heart attack, on Thursday, July 30, 2015, at the age of 61.
“I’m shocked and devastated,” said Jay Schachter, his manager. “He was an extraordinary man and a true friend.”
Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Roderic George Toombs (his real name) had a troubled youth. After the death of his father, he was expelled from the institute, but they took him in at a youth hostel where he received training to become a fighter.
In the mid-eighties he became the most famous character in this discipline, surpassed only by Hulk Hogan , with whom he faced on several occasions. After his withdrawal, John Carpenter recruited him to star in They Are Alive , where he played a humble worker who found glasses that revealed the true nature of the human being. Thanks to them, he realized that important figures in politics and social life were really extraterrestrials.
Despite his lack of acting chops, Roddy Piper continued to appear on screen, in by-products for its home or television release. He also appeared in two episodes of It’s Always Always Philadelphia .
He left his wife, Kitty J. Toombs, a widow, whom he married in 1972. They had four children.