Jonathan Huber, an AEW fighter who previously starred in WWE, died of a lung problem unrelated to the coronavirus, his wife, Amanda, wrote on Instagram on Saturday. He was 41 years old.
Lee fought under the names of Luke Harper in WWE and Brodie Lee in AEW. He had not appeared on AEW television since the beginning of October.
“No words can express the love I feel or how broken I am now,” wrote Amanda Huber. “He was surrounded by loved ones after a hard battle with a lung problem unrelated to Covid. @Mayoclinic is literally the best team of doctors and nurses in the world that has surrounded me with constant love.”
In a statement, AEW wrote that Huber “was exceptionally respected and loved in every way – a fierce and captivating talent, a caring mentor and just a very kind soul.”
Huber, a native of Rochester, New York, fought for WWE from 2012 to 2019. He was a regular on WWE television, notably as a member of the Wyatt Family and on a long-term tag team with fighter Erick Rowan. WWE granted him the release, which he had requested, last December. Huber signed with AEW and made his debut there in March.
In AEW, Huber was immediately pushed into a prominent position. He was named the leader of a faction called The Dark Order and fought Jon Moxley for the AEW title at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view event in May. Huber’s last fight was a Dog Collar fight for the AEW TNT title against Cody Rhodes on October 7th. The fight was rated 4.5 (out of 5) by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, tied with the highest star rating in Lee’s career.
Together with his wife, Huber leaves his children Brodie and Nolan.