Toronto professional wrestling fans are saying goodbyes to one of the most beloved figures in the sport’s history.
“WWE is saddened to learn that Elkin James, known to wrestling fans as Sweet Daddy Siki, passed away on December 31, 2024, at age 91,” the WWE wrote in a release on Wednesday.
“AEW and the wrestling world mourn the passing of Sweet Daddy Siki,” All Elite Wrestling (AEW) added in a post of their own. “Our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and his fans.”
He had battled dementia for many of his final years of life.
Siki had been a star throughout the 1960s and 1970s for various promotions such as Maple Leaf Wrestling, Grand Prix Wrestling, and Stampede Wrestling, often headlining shows at Maple Leaf Gardens in downtown Toronto.
In a sport that was primarily white during his career, Siki was one of the first Black wrestlers to gain a widespread following and helped to bring down racial barriers within the sport.
Though he was born in Texas in 1933, Siki had been a Toronto resident since the early 1960s, where and when he met his wife, Ann, a Canadian citizen. A rambunctious figure inside of the ring, Siki was also perhaps just as well-revered for his larger-than-life personality outside of it. He was also well-known for his music career, where he released four albums and hosted popular karaoke nights at The Duke in Toronto’s Leslieville neighbourhood.
Sully’s Gym was where Siki did much of his training, helping to build up the careers of wrestling stars Edge (Adam Copeland) and Christian Cage, both of whom started on local Canadian circuits before finding their way to the WWE and later AEW.
