Former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) referee Tim White died at the age of 68, the company said on Sunday, without revealing the cause of his death.

WWE is saddened to learn that long-time referee Tim White has passed away. For more than two decades, Tim White was a dedicated WWE referee and official,” WWE wrote on its official website.

American wrestling professional Shelton Benjamin also condoled White’s death on Twitter. 

“Man we have lost a great guy. Tim always made me feel like much welcomed family. My condolences to the White family R.I.P Tim White,” he wrote.

White started his career in 1985 as a part-time referee and the agent of French wrestling professional André the Giant. 

After André died in 1993, White became a full-time referee and made on-screen appearances in several wrestling events, which was a rare occurrence for WWE officials, who mostly worked behind the scenes.

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However, things changed in 2002, when White refereed the Hell in a Cell match between Chris Jericho and Triple H. During the match, White injured his shoulder and took a short break. 

Two years later, history repeated itself, and White sustained a shoulder injury, this time, the kind of injury that forces one to seek early retirement. 

“A shoulder injury effectively ended White’s in-ring career, but White still remained a major part of WWE working behind the scenes as an official and talent agent until 2009,” WWE wrote in a statement.

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White gave up active refereeing, which demanded a strenuous routine of counting to three and pretending to not be affected by the violence unfolding some three feet away inside the ring. 

As the injury took away his television stardom, White switched paths and opened The Friendly Tap, a bar located in his hometown- Cumberland.