Former WWE/WCW wrestler Virgil passes away at 72
Michael Jones, better known to wrestling fans as Virgil, has died.
News of his passing was announced by referee Mark Charles III, who noted Jones passed away peacefully this morning at a hospital. He was 72 years old.
Charles III wrote:
My dear friends, it is with great sorrow that I bring news from the Jones family of the passing of our beloved Michael Jones, whom we know and loved as Virgil, Vincent, Soul Train Jones and more.
Virgil passed peacefully at the hospital this morning and I ask that you pray for him and for his family.
May his memory be eternal!
Jones is perhaps best known as Ted Dibiase’s bodyguard Virgil in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Virgil would eventually turn on Dibiase after years of abuse and their feud culminated in him winning the Million Dollar Championship at SummerSlam 91.
Before signing with WWE, he wrestled as “Soul Train” Jones and once held the AWA Southern Tag Team Championships along with Rocky Johnson.
Jones would end up in WCW in 1996 as part of the NWO angle. He was renamed Vincent, playing up on rumors that the name Virgil had been a rib on Dusty Rhodes’ real name.
Very sorry to report the death of Mike Jones, best known as Virgil, Vincent and Soul Train Jones. The first two names are not coincidental as he was first by WWF and then by WCW used to mock Dusty Rhodes and Vince McMahon.
— Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) February 28, 2024
Jones revealed in the summer of 2022 that he was diagnosed with dementia and had also suffered two massive strokes.
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.