New Jack passes away at 58 due to heart attack

New Jack — one of the more memorable figures in pro wrestling and the focus of an episode of Dark Side of The Ring — passed away Friday at the age of 58 due to a heart attack.

PW Insider was the first to report the news via his wife, Jennifer. He was living in North Carolina at the time of his death.

Born Jerome Young in Greensboro, North Carolina, New Jack rose to prominence as one half of The Gangstas with Mustafa Saed. After a one-year run in Smokey Mountain Wrestling, he and Saed found themselves in ECW where they fit right in with the hardcore style and attitude of the promotion. He and Saed won their Tag Team titles two times and he also held them one time with John Kronus of The Eliminators.

Even after Saed left, New Jack stayed with ECW through their end in 2001. He was involved in the infamous “Mass Transit Incident” documented in season two of Dark Side where he bladed Eric Kulas (aka Mass Transit), an inexperienced 17-year-old wrestler. Kulas bled so much due to the cut that he required hospitalization and 50 stitches. New Jack was eventually acquitted on aggravated assault charges and a lawsuit against he and ECW failed in court.

Outside a short retirement, New Jack worked on the indies from the end of ECW through 2021, notably working for TNA, XPW and Combat Zone Wrestling among others. During that time, he was involved in other controversial incidents in matches with Vic Grimes and Gypsy Joe, documented on the Dark Side episode.

His final in-ring action was in April 2021 in a tag team match in Tampa, Florida.