Wrestling icon Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka — who just dodged a murder rap because of his declining mental and physical condition — died Sunday after a battle with cancer, loved ones said.
Snuka’s daughter, Sarona, a professional wrestler who goes by Tamina Snuka, shared a poignant Instagram picture of her holding her dying dad’s hand as she announced his death.
Jimmy Snuka was 73.
His lawyer, Robert Kirwan, said the wrestler died at 1 p.m. at his son-in-law’s home near Pompano Beach, Fla.
“He’s battled various medical ailments for over a year and half,” Kirwan told Allentown’s Morning Call newspaper in Lehigh County, Pa., where Snuka had faced murder charges in the death of a onetime gal pal.
“He’s at rest, and he is at peace,’’ Kirwan said.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, a pro-wrestling star before becoming a bankable Hollywood leading man, tweeted “#RIPSuperfly” and “Alofa atu i le aiga atoa” to Snuka’s grieving relatives — Samoan for, “Love the whole family.’’ Johnson is half Samoan, and Snuka was from Fiji, where some residents are of Samoan descent.
Fellow wrestling legend Hulk Hogan chimed in on Twitter: “RIP Superfly. Only love HH.”
Semi-retired wrestler Diamond Dallas Page tweeted: “Sad day today with the passing of The one & only #SuperFlyJimmySnuka #Rip my brother … Always Loved The SuperFly!”
Snuka was born James Wiley Smith on May 18, 1943.
His “Superfly” persona was built on his breath-taking leaps from the wrestling ring’s ropes and onto opponents.
He was inducted into the World Wrestling Entertainment’s Hall of Fame in 1996.
Snuka’s death came just two weeks after a Pennsylvania judge dismissed murder charges against him stemming from the 1983 fatal beating of his then-girlfriend, Nancy Argentino.
He was charged in September 2015 with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the case.
Prosecutors alleged that she was killed by the wrestler inside a Whitehall Township hotel room, while he insisted that Argentino died from a fall.
Lehigh County Judge Kelly Banach ruled Jan. 3 that the cancer-stricken Snuka, who also suffered from dementia, was not competent to stand trial.