6 days after passing away at age 69, WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes was honored by his family, friends, and co-workers at a funeral service held at the St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Tampa, Florida.
The Tampa Bay Tribune reported that two buses filled with NXT stars and those training at the Performance Center arrived at the funeral an hour before scheduled start time while other WWE Superstars and Divas, including Seth Rollins, Daniel Bryan, Mark Henry, and many others who worked with Dusty in the past were also present. The McMahon family were there as well.
Cody Rhodes read a eulogy and published it on his Twitter at twitter.com/StardustWWE, while his brother Dustin also posted his at twitter.com/Goldust.
The funeral service was only for family and friends and no fans or media were allowed in. The Tampa Bay Times reported that only four fans showed up and were ordered to remain on the sidewalk off the premises while WWE security were in charge of keeping photographers 50 yards away from the church entrance.
The funeral service lasted 45 minutes and was followed by a reception in the courtyard of the church.
“We are truly grateful for the outpouring of love and support from Dusty’s colleagues and fans around the world,” said the Runnels family in a prepared statement distributed to the press through the WWE. “Our family appreciates that you continue to respect our privacy at this difficult time.”
Photos below are from Tampa Bay Tribune and Tampa Bay Times.
