A statement sent by his family on Wednesday revealed that WWE veteran Virgil, who was well-known for serving as the personal bodyguard and aide to the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, has passed away. However, he was just 61 years old.
In recent years, Virgil, whose actual name is Michael Jones, has struggled with a number of major health concerns, including a diagnosis of dementia and a number of strokes.
Jones made his start in the sport of wrestling in the year 1985. He would go on to fight for companies such as the Championship Wrestling Association, where he won the heavyweight title, and tag team championships with Rocky Johnson.
Subsequently, he relocated to the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he earned notoriety with DiBiase. He often carried his money and protected him from his opponents. Eventually, he turned on DiBiase at Summerslam 1991 and defeated him at WrestleMania VII.
Following his short time with the National Wrestling Conference, Jones made his debut with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under the ring name Vincent. He then joined the New World Order (nWo) as the chief of security.
In the years leading up to his departure in 1999, he would continue to collaborate with Hulk Hogan and famous celebrities.
In 2010, Jones made a short comeback to WWE in the capacity as Ted DiBiase Jr.’s bodyguard. Subsequently, he went on to make many appearances as Soul Train Jones in AEW over the years.
According to those who were close to Jones, he passed away without any drama in the hospital.
In response to the news of Jones’ passing, WWE issued a statement that said, “WWE is saddened to learn that Michael Jones, known to WWE fans as Virgil, has passed away.”
“WWE extends its condolences to Jones’ family, friends and fans.”