Jon Huber Dies at Age 41; Wrestled for AEW and WWE as Brodie Lee, Luke Harper
December 27, 2020
Professional wrestler Jon Huber, who was working in All Elite Wrestling under the ring name Brodie Lee and previously for WWE as Luke Harper, has died at age 41.
Huber's wife, Amanda, said on Instagram that he died from a "non COVID related lung issue."
Ryan Satin @ryansatinSome additional info on the passing of Brodie Lee, aka former WWE star Luke Harper, via his wife’s IG. #RIPBrodie Gone way too soon. This one hurts. The guy had so much more to give. My condolences to all of you who knew him. My heart hurts for all of you. Hang in there. https://t.co/3ZJksm1JDJ
AEW and WWE issued statements about Huber:
Some of Huber's fellow wrestlers offered their condolences on social media:
Brandi Rhodes @TheBrandiRhodesI love and miss you Jon. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me and my family. We all love you so very much. You were such a great man. It’s been my pleasure and privilege to know and work with you. Your family is our family now. We will watch over them. Rest now friend. 💔 https://t.co/aJ3TUntfoH
Tony Khan @TonyKhanI’m devastated by the loss of Jon Huber, known to fans as Mr. Brodie Lee, formerly Luke Harper. Jon was a great man. His family came first, his loving wife Amanda & their sons Brodie + Nolan. He loved wrestling & was great at it, he loved you fans. Please keep him in your hearts.
Huber made his AEW debut in March as Lee, the leader of The Dark Order. He had his first major feud against Jon Moxley, leading to his receiving an AEW championship match at Double or Nothing.
Over the summer, Huber was engaged in a feud with Cody Rhodes for the TNT Championship. The Exalted One defeated Rhodes to win the title on the Aug. 22 episode of Dynamite.
Huber's most recent appearance on Dynamite was against Rhodes in a dog collar match for the TNT title. Rhodes won the belt back, with Huber being written off television due to injury. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Jeremy Lambert of Fightful) reported last month that Huber was dealing with a "possible ankle injury."
Before joining AEW, Huber spent seven years working in WWE. He worked primarily as a tag team wrestler with Erick Rowan as a member of The Wyatt Family with Bray Wyatt. The duo won the NXT tag team titles and WWE SmackDown tag team titles once.
Wyatt released a statement on Instagram:
"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. Where do we go now? What do I do knowing I’ll never hear your condescending sarcasm as I am riding high. I miss you so fucking much already. I would do anything just live through our worst moments again I can’t believe you’re gone. I’m so sorry brother. I’m so sorry. You will always be a part of me, whether I like it or not without you everything is different and I hope Amanda truly knows that I am here not just to say it but because I love them too. I will make sure your son knows the incredible man you were. Not the legends people will tell but the real you that very few people got to see. I promise I’ll put him over clean in dark matches when he’s old enough just like I promised. 😉I’m hurting so bad. I wish I had a chance to say goodbye. But then again, it’s Saturday and you know what that means.... save me a seat next to you wherever you are, that’s where I belong. I’ll be there when it’s my time. Goodbye forever Brodie. I love you."
Huber also won the Intercontinental championship in November 2014 when he defeated Dolph Ziggler.