The wrestler and actor Cesar Barron has died at the age of 51, after collapsing during a bout in London.
According to industry reports, Barron – real name Cuauhtémoc González Barrón – suffered a heart attack while performing at Camden’s Roundhouse Theatre.
The Mexican wrestler – known to his fans as the ‘Silver King’ – reportedly fell onto the canvas during the packed show, with spectators initially believing it was all part of the act.
The World Wrestling Council confirmed Barron’s death over Twitter, with WWE star, Sin Cara, offering his condolences:
Unfortunately the world of Wrestling is in mourning once again, sad news today, SILVER KING passed away in London.
As reported by the BBC, Barron came from a Mexican wrestling family, with his own father being a well-liked lucha libre fighter in his time.
Lucha Libre is the term used in Mexico for professional wrestling, with fighters often wearing colourful masks and incorporating acrobatic, high flying moves into their routines.
Barron performed in World Championship Wrestling between the years 1997 and 2000, with Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranking him as being 46th on a list of the best fighters on the planet.
Barron will also be remembered for his performance in Jack Black’s wrestling comedy Nacho Libre (2006), where he played the villainous Ramses.
Black has since taken to Instagram to pay tribute to his former co-star, posted a black and white photograph of Barron in full costume alongside the words, ‘César González…vaya con dios, hermano’.
In English, this translates as ‘César González … go with god, brother’.
Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Cesar Barron at this difficult time.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.