Today marks the seventeen year anniversary of Rick Rude's untimely death. He died at age 40. The official cause of death is heart failure. Rick Rude was known as one of the toughest men in the business. He was also feared to the point that Hulk Hogan would not work with him. His career was cut short after he landed wrongly on his back in a match against Sting. Rick Rude is a former WCW United States Champion and a former WWE Intercontinental Champion. His autopsy showed that he overdosed from mixed medications. It is also believed that his death may have been a suicide. Rick Rude has not been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame at this point.