Jonathan Huber, ex-WWE star known as Luke Harper, dies at 41

Jonathan Huber, an AEW wrestler who previously starred in WWE, died because of a non-coronavirus-related lung issue, his wife, Amanda, wrote Saturday on Instagram. He was 41.

Lee wrestled under the names Luke Harper in WWE and Brodie Lee in AEW. He had not been on AEW television since early October.

“No words can express the love I feel or how broken I am right now,” Amanda Huber wrote. “He passed surrounded by love ones after a hard fought battle with a non Covid related lung issue. The @mayoclinic is literally the best team of doctors and nurses in the world who surrounded me with constant love.”

In a statement, AEW wrote that Huber “was exceptionally respected and beloved in every way — a fierce and captivating talent, a thoughtful mentor and simply a very kind soul.”

Huber, a Rochester, New York native, wrestled for WWE from 2012 to 2019. He was a regular on WWE television, notably as a member of the Wyatt Family and in a long-term tag team with wrestler Erick Rowan. WWE granted him his release, which he had requested, last December. Huber signed with AEW and made his debut there in March.

In AEW, Huber was immediately pushed into a prominent position. He was made the leader of a faction called The Dark Order and wrestled Jon Moxley for the AEW title at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view event in May. Huber’s last match was a Dog Collar match for the AEW TNT title against Cody Rhodes on Oct. 7. The bout was rated 4.5 (out of 5) stars by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, tied for the highest star rating of Lee’s career.

Along with his wife, Huber is survived by children Brodie and Nolan.