Tributes have been paid to a British wrestling fan found dead in Las Vegas after traveling to the city for WrestleMania weekend.
Marc Izard disappeared after attending a WWE SmackDown event at the T-Mobile Arena on Friday, April 17, the night before the annual wrestling spectacular.
The day before he vanished, Izard was photographed with WWE wrestling star Natalya “Nattie” Neidhart, who shared an appeal to help find him on social media. The 43 year-old was later found dead in Las Vegas Boulevard South on Saturday, April 18.
Izard “passed away quickly from natural causes related to underlying medical conditions,” according to a statement shared with Book Pro Wrestlers by his sister.
“Although we are obviously heartbroken at our loss, we are finding some comfort in knowing he passed doing what he loved so much,” the statement read.
“We are working on bringing him home so that we can say a proper goodbye, and we will make sure his absolute love of wrestling is honored at his funeral.”
Neidhart, a member of the legendary Hart wrestling family and daughter of the late Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, shared a tribute to the late fan on X. Included in her post was an image of the pair together, in which she can be seen beaming at the camera.
“Hearing about the passing of someone from our wrestling family, Marc Izard, is heartbreaking,” she wrote. “Wrestling brings people together in such a special way, and moments like this remind us how precious life truly is.
“My thoughts are with Marc’s family, friends, and everyone who loved him,” she added.
Prior to the confirmation of Izard’s death, Neidhart shared a post on X urging fans with any information as to his whereabouts to reach out to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
Neidhart was responding to a widely shared missing persons poster, which included several images of Izard and said that he had failed to make his flight back to the United Kingdom. WrestleMania attracts tens of thousands of fans every year, with many international fans flying to the U.S. just to attend.
Izard’s family has now launched a GoFundMe appeal to help bring him home.
A post on the page said: “On Saturday, April 18th, our lives changed forever. Our beloved brother, Marc Izard, passed away in Las Vegas while doing what he loved most—attending WWE WrestleMania weekend.
“Marc wasn’t just a spectator; he was a staple of the wrestling community. From his childhood days to his travels across the globe, Marc’s life was defined by his passion for the ring. Whether it was supporting local independent promotions or traveling for the “Grandest Stage of Them All,” Marc lived for the energy, the stories, and the idols he met along the way.”
Izard’s death was initially confirmed to the Las Vegas Review-Journal Monday, by theClark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner. The official cause and manner of his death is still pending, the Review-Journal added.
