Very sad news is rocking the world of professional wrestling this weekend, as AEW star Jon “Brodie Lee” Huber has passed away. Prior to his debut in AEW earlier this year, Huber competed for several years as Luke Harper of the Wyatt Family and is very well known to fans of both companies. On Saturday, Huber’s wife Amanda revealed that the wrestler died at the age of 41 from an apparent lung issue not related to Covid.
“My best friend died today,” Amanda writes on Instagram. “I never wanted to write out those words. My heart is broken. The world saw him as the amazing @brodielee (fka Luke Harper) but he was my best friend, my husband, and the greatest father you would ever meet. No words can express the love I feel or how broken I am right now. He passed surrounded by love ones after a hard fought battle with a non Covid related lung issue. The @mayoclinic is literally the best team of doctors and nurses in the world who surrounded me with constant love.”
Jon Huber was born on Dec. 16, 1979 in Rochester, New York. He competed in backyard wrestling as a young man before making his pro debut in Roc City Wrestling in 2003. Initially, he wrestled under a mask alongside his real-life brother, with the two known as the Huberboys. Soon after, he would unmask and start performing as Brodie Lee in various indie wrestling promotions.
After years on the indie circuit, Huber finally made it to WWE in 2012 as the “first son” of the Wyatt Family, a stable led by Bray “The Fiend” Wyatt. Now called Luke Harper, Huber frequently partnered with the group’s “second son,” Erick Rowan, as a dominant tag team. After breaking away from the group and competing as a singles star, Huber would win the company’s Intercontinental Championship in 2014 by defeating Dolph Ziggler. He’d later win the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship alongside Wyatt and Randy Orton and again with Rowan after reuniting as a tag team.
Following the news of Huber’s passing, Wyatt posted an emotional tribute message on Instagram. In part, the message reads, “You were my best friend. My brother, my partner, my Terry Gordy. We changed this whole game because we refused to do it any way but OUR way. We were always at our best when we were a team I think we both knew it. We fought like brothers because we were. I’m so goddamn pissed. This isn’t how it was supposed to be, it was supposed to be us fat, bald and useless running Wyatt Family spots in high school gyms in our 70’s.”
Huber debuted in the wrestling organization AEW: All Elite Wrestling in March 2020 following his exit from WWE. Revering back to his Brodie Lee ring name, the wrestler came into the company hot with an undefeated streak, culminating in an AEW World Championship match against Jon Moxley. Although he came up short, Huber would go on to defeat Cody for the AEW TNT Championship. He’d drop the title back to Cody in what would become his final match in October, with an undisclosed injury then taking him off of television.
Taking to Twitter, Cody addressed Huber’s passing. He writes, “My heart is stricken by the loss of Brodie Lee. It was obvious he was an extremely gifted athlete and storyteller, and his gift beyond that was to challenge you and he set the bar very high. Upon anybody’s first meeting with him… it was even more apparent he was a family man and a first class human being.”
He adds, “I got to share his last number… I got to have his last match. That is an honor and a privilege and an experience so ferociously humbling. Thank you ‘Big Rig.’ We will honor you and your family.”
Along with Amanda, Huber’s survivors include two young sons. Our thoughts go out to them along with the rest of Huber’s family and friends at this difficult time. May he rest in peace. This news comes to us from Amanda Huber on Instagram.
