Former WWE star Mike ‘Mantaur’ Halac passes away at 55. What do we know?
The WWE, the wider wrestling community, and its fans are in mourning this week after reports confirmed the death of one of wrestling’s icons of the mid-90s.
From his first outings in Europe to the glitz and glam of the wrestling rings that entered stateside, Halac was a larger-than-life character, which only assures how much he will be missed by wrestling fans.
Former WWE wrestler Mike Halac passes away
According to a statement from the WWE, Mike “Mantaur” Halac, a WWE wrestler in the mid-1990s known for his trademark bull’s head costume, has passed away. Halac was 55.
Mike Halac, former WWE star ‘Mantaur,’ dead at 55 https://t.co/TwVKSClxbV pic.twitter.com/AuYcBTUZtr
— New York Post (@nypost) July 12, 2023
“WWE is saddened to learn that Mike Halac, better known to WWE fans as Mantaur, has passed away,” the organization said in a statement. “Halac’s combination of size and charisma immediately captivated fans worldwide as he took to the ring in a giant bull head to highlight his half-man, half-minotaur persona.”
Remembering Mike Halac
Related stories
A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Halac began his career in Germany and Austria’s Catch Wrestling Association in 1991, before making his way to the then-World Wrestling Federation in the middle of that decade, where he unveiled his “Mantaur” persona in January of 1995. Interestingly, although his level of success in the ring was short-lived, fans couldn’t get enough of him. For the remainder of the ‘90s, Halac became somewhat of a journeyman as he moved between the WWF, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and several other minor circuits. It’s also understood that Halac “would occasionally return to the half-man/half-beast character for wrestling exhibitions.”
Rest in peace to Mike Halac, who passed away today at 55. He's best known for his time as Mantaur in WWE from 1994-1995. The gimmick was horrible, but the man himself was a powerhouse. Here he is versus Bam Bam Bigelow in his last televised WWE match.pic.twitter.com/6CXNTyjY7G
— Wrestling Highlight (@WrestlingH2023) July 12, 2023
Though he would eventually retire in 2001, Halac would continue to make appearances right up until 2019. During that time he was even inducted into the Nebraska Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame (2018). To that end, the Hall of Fame itself stated that “His loss will be felt by many.” Though his daughter, Demi, indicated that her father died peacefully in his sleep and no cause of death was given, Halac himself had previously spoken about his battle with Type 2 diabetes in a 2015 interview.