The COVID-19 pandemic has taken over the entire world and that includes professional wrestling. This year has seen many unfortunate deaths in the business and it seems Rikishi suffered a loss as well.
Rikishi recently spoke to Table Talk with D-Von, where he revealed that his father passed away on October 4th due to COVID-19. This was certainly shocking news for fans as they were unaware of this.
The pandemic prevented his family to gather for his father’s unfortunate passing. He bid farewell to his father on an iPad.
“My father got hit with the COVID-19 on October the 4th. He’d been in the hospital for two months and finally, he laid to rest on October the 4th. I celebrated my brother, Umaga, he passed away December the 4th. My last name has four letters, F-A-T-U. Fatu in English means heart.”
“I sit and I think about it. I missed him and I was so lost when I lost my father. I start to think about what I could have done better. What could I have done to even try to save him? The most difficult time for me was to watch my father take his last breath to a damn iPad.”
“I think about all what’s happening that has led that moment up to that, to where I was denied the access to hold my father’s hand. I was denied the access to be there with him to his last dying breath. It makes me wonder, D-Von, that we’re not through yet. There’s something here for us that we have not done, my brother.”
“So, what I’m saying to everyone that’s got hit with this COVID-19 that’s going through some hard times, keep going onward, upward. Keep going forward because there is something that’s ahead for you that needs to be accomplished in your life. So, with love and respect, to all of you out there listening, thank you guys.”
We would like to offer our deepest condolence to Rikishi’s family and friends during this unfortunate time.
h/t to Wrestling Inc for the transcription.
