The pro wrestling world lost one of its own tonight, when Tony “Tiny” Lister Jr. passed away.
TMZ has reported law enforcement got a call to the actor/wrestler’s apartment Thursday for an unconscious male, and was pronounced dead at the scene. There has been no word on a cause of death.
While his given name is not always known, one of Lister’s most recognizable roles is that of Deebo from the Friday series of movies along with the role that got him a position in the WWE, Zeus in No Holds Barred. The role eventually went from the silver screen to the then-WWF, where he and Hulk Hogan continued their rivalry that began as their roles in the No Holds Barred movie.
Zeus found himself in perhaps the biggest match in his career in 1989 when he and Randy Savage faced Hogan and Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake in the main event of SummerSlam, the second edition of the company’s second biggest event. Lister remained with the WWE until filming a promotional spot for the 1990 Royal Rumble. He only wrestled in two more matches for the company, one at the 1989 Survivor Series where he teamed with Ted DiBiase and the Powers of Pain to meet Hogan, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, and Demolition. His final match was at the No Holds Barred pay per view in December of 1989 where he once more teamed with Savage to face Hogan and Beefcake in a steel cage match.
Lister once again emerged in a major promotion in 1996 when WCW brought him to the company under the name Z-Gangsta as part of “The Alliance to End Hulkamania.” His one match for WCW was part of WCW Uncensored 1996 when he teamed with Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Meng, The Barbarian, Lex Luger, The Taskmaster, and The Ultimate Solution in a losing effort against Hogan and Savage.
Lister also found himself in a variety of notable roles through his acting career outside the role of Deebo in Friday and Next Friday. Lister played a role in The Dark Knight as a convict who makes a very difficult moral choice in the film’s climax, along with voicing the role of Finnick the Fox in Disney’s Zootopia.
Lister also had roles in music videos for Michael Jackson, Sublime, Ice Cube, 50 Cent, and was featured prominently in the video for “Ridin'” by Chamillionaire.
He was 62 years old.
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