Jonathan Huber, an AEW fighter who previously starred in the 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 Luke Harper in the WWE and Brodie Lee in the AEW. He hadn’t been on AEW television since early October.
“No word can express the love I feel or the broken I am right now,” Amanda Huber wrote. “I happened to be surrounded by loved ones after a tough battle with a lung problem unrelated to Covid. @Mayoclinic is literally the best team of doctors and nurses in the world that surrounded me with a constant love.”
In a statement, AEW wrote that Huber “was exceptionally respected and loved in every way: a fierce and captivating talent, a thoughtful mentor and simply a very kind soul.”
Huber, a native of Rochester, New York, fought for the WWE from 2012 to 2019. He was a regular on WWE television, mostly as a member of the Wyatt family and on a long-running team with wrestler Erick Rowan. WWE granted him his release, which he had requested, last December. Huber signed with AEW and debuted there in March.
At AEW, Huber was immediately pushed to a prominent position. He was named leader of a faction called The Dark Order and fought Jon Moxley for the AEW title at the May or Double pay-per-view event. Huber’s last match was a Dog Collar match for the AEW TNT title against Cody Rhodes on October 7th. The bout was rated 4.5 (out of 5) stars by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, tied with the best star rating of Lee’s career.
Huber is survived by his wife, Amanda, and their children, Brodie and Nolan.