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Uncovering the Tragic Story of Bodybuilder & WWE Wrestler Who Mysteriously Died in 2017

Published 02/04/2023, 4:30 PM EST

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A bodybuilder, professional wrestler, and actress, Nicole Bass became a mainstay during the attitude era of WWE. However, she couldn’t maintain the same level of adulation and fame for long, before she untimely passed away. In February 2017, Bass died at the age of 52. While the reason behind her death wasn’t immediately conceivable, a heart attack (although never verified) was the reasonable explanation given. A deluge of tributes poured in on social media after the bodybuilder passed. Here’s uncovering her tragic life from a WWE mainstay to looking for jobs in strip clubs.

A Heavy Sports article covered her story after her demise that included a series of tributes posted on Twitter and other social media by several of her loved ones. From Tommy Dreamer to Kristen Marrone to Rob Van Damn, everybody had something sweet to say about her. However, Bass herself lived a sad life with her own share of controversies.

How Nicole Bass went from living a healthy life to a tragic one

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Before Bass passed away, she was a Howard Stern Show regular in the 90s. During the attitude era of WWE in 1999, she would often always make an appearance in the ring. Her fame was at an all-time high during the mid-to-late 90s. She also had sufficient work to sustain herself as she made guest appearances in daily soaps such as The Bold and Beautiful, Days of Our Lives, etc.

Bass was a consistent contestant in bodybuilding competitions from the mid-80s to 1997 when she made her only Miss Olympia appearance and came 14th. However, it all came crashing down with every passing year after the dawn of the 21st century.

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In 2000, she spent a night in jail after biting a New York police officer who tried to break up a fight she was involved in. In 2006, she was hospitalized due to steroid-influenced pancreatitis, and in 2015 she was arrested for shoplifting in a Queens, New York supermarket. Bass also filed a sexual harassment case against Steve ‘the Brooklyn Brawler’ Lombardi.

However, despite all the controversies, her good-natured personality and her good heart shone through for a lot of people.

Bass’ sad death and her lasting legacy in her friends’ memories

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Tommy Dreamer, a professional wrestler, spoke about Bass’ loyalty, and large-heartedness as his friend. Kristen Marrone, who claimed to be in a relationship with Bass at the time of her passing, posted a long and heartfelt message declaring her undying love for Bass. WWE wrestler Rob Van Damn simply wished her RIP.

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Bass lay unconscious in her apartment on February 16, 2017. After hospitalization, Bass was brain dead. She died of a speculated heart attack or stroke in front of her friends and family. Bass made her last public appearance in 2016 at the Howard Stern show. She had difficulty finding jobs Stern made a public appeal to strip club owners to hire her as a dancer. It was to no avail.

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Written by:

Tanmay Roy

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Tanmay Roy is a US Sports author for EssentiallySports. He has done MBA and B.Tech in Civil Engineering.
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Edited by:

Debmallya Chakraborty