Who was John 'Bad Bones' Klinger? All about the star's untimely demise

John 'Bad Bones' Klinger passed away suddenly on Monday, May 20. At the age of 40, he was wrestling for wXw (Westside Extreme Wrestling) and was expected to retire in September.

Born on May 14, 1984, in Bitburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, West Germany, John 'Bad Bones' Klinger started professional wrestling 20 years ago, in 2004. He won several titles in Independent Circuits, including the wXw World Wrestling Championship (three times) and Tag Team Championship (twice), respectively.

He competed mainly for European wrestling promotions and had three different stints with TNA: 2011, 2014, and 2017, respectively. Klinger passed away in Bremen, Germany, just four days after his 40th birthday.

wXw officially announced the tragic news via its account on X.

"We say goodbye to "Bad Bones" John Klinger. John Klinger was one of the defining wrestlers at wXw for over a decade. He won all of the major titles at wXw and won both 16 Carat Gold and Shortcut to the Top. In his almost 450 matches in the wXw ring, he always worked hard and did his best to excite his fans. At just 40 years old, John died far too early, shortly before his planned retirement. We wish his family and friends strength in this difficult time," the post on X reads. [Translated from German via Google Translate]

John 'Bad Bones' Klinger was expected to retire in September, ending his 20-year wrestling career. His last match was against Flash Morgan at PWT’s Total Blast From The Past event.

SmackDown GM Nick Aldis reacts to John 'Bad Bones' Klinger's passing

During his wrestling career, the late John 'Bad Bones' Klinger worked with many superstars from WWE and AEW.

One of them is current SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis, who had nothing but good words to say about 'Bad Bones' on X.

"RIP John Klinger. So many times I arrived tired and weary in a foreign land, and Bad Bones was a friendly face that I was relieved to see; whatever weird wacky adventure awaits, we’re here together. That’s a unique bond that only brothers and sisters in our wrestling fraternity understand. A great guy, gone too soon. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones. RIP Brother," Aldis wrote on X.

WWE commentator Corey Graves and AEW stars Kyle Fletcher and Christopher Daniels also posted tributes to John Klinger on social media.