"Rowdy" Roddy Piper, who was born Roderick George Toombs, has passed away following cardiac arrest in his sleep on Thursday night. TMZ reports that the retired wrestling superstar appeared to be healthy and was cancer free at the time of his death, following a bout with the disease less than a decade ago.

Piper is perhaps best known for his battles in the ring with legendary wrestler Hulk Hogan. He was part of the generation of wrestlers in the 1980s that made the sport a worldwide phenomenon and brought the WWE company, then known as the WWF, to prominence.

Piper was among a short list of wrestlers that were considered to be the 50 greatest ring villains in the professional sport's history. Although he did have many bouts with several personalities on the live and taped entertainment shows, Piper also did a few stints as the fan's champion, or a "good guy," so to speak.

Back in 2005, when he was still wrestling, Piper was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. His last appearance in the ring for the WWE was back in 2008. Although he hadn't wrestled since, in recent years Piper appeared in several special shows about the sport, including with other organizations.

Piper had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2006, but in November of 2014, he had announced he was cancer free.

"I am devastated at this news. Rod was a good friend as well as a client and one of the most generous, sincere and authentic people I have ever known. This is a true loss to us all," a representative for Piper told TMZ.

Rolling Stone reports that Piper also had a media presence outside the ring, starring in the 1988 cult flick "They Live," by John Carpenter.

Piper is survived by a wife, one son and three daughters.