WWE legend Ric Flair has informed fans that he must scrap a scheduled meet and greet due to ‘health issues’.
The 76-year-old retired wrestler was inundated with supportive messages after sharing the update, having announced earlier this month that he had skin cancer.
Flair, whose real name is Richard Morgan Fliehr, said at the time that this is his second skin cancer diagnosis in three years.
He started undergoing treatment last week.
Now, the Memphis-born star has explained that his poor health means he cannot meet his supporters as planned tomorrow.
He was due to host the meet-and-greet event at a Mississippi wellness clinic.
Taking to Instagram, where he boasts 2.5million followers, he wrote: ‘To All My Dear Friends And Fans- I Am So Sorry, That I Will Not Be Able To See You Tuesday. I Have Health Issues, That I Need To Attend To. As I Have Procrastinated Putting My Health First In The Past. Melanoma, I Have Found Out, Is Nothing To Play With. I Promise To See You ASAP. Please Continue To Love Ric Flair Drip, As @ricflairdrip Loves You [sic]’.
The WWE Hall of Famer soon had his fans wishing him well in the comments, assuring him that they understand his ‘health comes first’.
‘God bless you Ric. We love you. ❤️’, commented @elainahubble.
@chrisbeepz added: ‘take it easy legend 🙏🏽’.
‘We love you Ric health comes first ❤️’, wrote @mayne_dan.
The 16-time WWE champ initially denied his cancer diagnosis on X in a bid to keep it private.
However, once he felt ready, he confirmed it to People.
‘It’s the second time in three years that I’ve been dealing with skin cancer,’ he told the outlet. ‘I will be undergoing treatment next week.’
He also thanked people for their well wishes, adding: ‘Appreciate the concerns!’
Flair’s health woes have been well documented in recent years.
In August 2017, he was hospitalised with stomach pains. A few hours later, he was in the early stages of kidney failure.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time, Flair was also close to congestive heart failure.
His loved ones were prepared for the worst, as doctors informed them he only had a 20% likelihood of survival, having put him into a medically induced coma, where he remained for 11 days.
Flair had a pacemaker fitted and part of his bowel removed.
Speaking to People a month after the ordeal, he admitted just how bad it got.
‘I crashed in an aeroplane and broke my back; I’ve been hit by lightning, but this is totally different,’ he confessed. ‘Anything I’ve been through before is nothing like this.’
Throughout it all was his partner, Wendy Barlow. They were together for 13 years before parting ways in September 2024.
However, Flair still cherishes how she cared for him, writing in a social media statement at the time their split became public: ‘I’ll Never Ever Be Able To Thank Her Enough For Standing By My Side Through My Terrible Health Crisis In 2017.’
‘She Never Left My Side! And For That I Will Always Be Grateful! [sic]’, he added.
Alas, his battles continued in 2019 when Flair was rushed to the Atlanta hospital emergency room after suffering a ‘very serious’ medical emergency. He went on to have heart surgery once again.
Flair’s heart problems can be attributed to alcohol abuse, which he discussed in his book, Ric Flair: To Be the Man.
He shared that he suffered from alcoholic cardiomyopathy, which is a cardiac disease caused by chronic alcohol consumption
‘I had one vice,’ Flair told Sports Illustrated in 2017. ‘I’m not going to point my finger at anybody else. My vice was drinking.
‘I didn’t have any pain issues, addiction problems, marijuana, cocaine, nothing like that. It’s a fact that I kept myself up all night and always had a good time.’
Flair’s wrestling career spanned 50 years before he retired in 2022.
The ‘Nature Boy’ won numerous titles and was named Wrestler of the Year on several occasions.
In his 2022 Peacock documentary Woooooo! Becoming Ric Flair, then-wife Barlow said that Flair seemed to rely on his WWE persona to help him through tough times.
‘I don’t know how he survived,’ she said. ‘What he did was go back into Ric Flair, to be a character so he didn’t have to feel.’
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