MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Fans of World Wrestling Entertainment star Eddie Guerrero united on the Internet on Monday, as chat rooms continued to buzz with news of his death and several Web sites posted messages to honor the man nicknamed "Latino Heat."
Some fans in the WWE chat room said they had been crying since they heard Guerrero's body was found in his Minneapolis hotel room on Sunday. Many had questions about what killed the 38-year-old.
"Eddie, we will always remember you," one chatter wrote. "R.I.P. Eddie," wrote another. Yet another wrote, "I can't stop crying."
Guerrero's on-air arch-nemesis, John Bradshaw Layfield, said Guerrero was popular because he was personable and exuded an energy that drew fans into the match.
"Eddie was as passionate as anybody I've ever seen," said Layfield, who goes by the persona "JBL." Despite the on-air feud between the two men, Layfield said he and Guerrero were good friends _ Guerrero was a groomsman in Layfield's wedding.
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"He was probably the greatest performer I've ever been in the ring with ... it was like being out there with electricity. It was intoxicating," Layfield said.
Guerrero was a featured star on the UPN show "WWE Smackdown!" and was in Minneapolis on Sunday to film a WWE show.
After Guerrero didn't respond to a wake-up call in his hotel room on Sunday morning, his nephew, fellow WWE wrestler Chavo Guerrero, and hotel security staffers forced their way in and found him on the floor, authorities said.
"This is a huge loss," said WWE chairman Vince McMahon. "Eddie was a consummate performer."
Authorities said there were no apparent signs of foul play, but an autopsy was planned Monday to determine an exact cause of death. Results of the autopsy will not be available for several weeks, the Hennepin County medical examiner's office said.
Guerrero was only the second wrestler of Hispanic heritage to be WWE champion, having won the title in February 2004 by defeating Brock Lesnar, a former University of Minnesota wrestling standout. Guerrero lost the title four months later.
His nephew said Guerrero was open about past drug and alcohol abuse but had been sober for four years. In May 2004, UPN aired the special "Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story," chronicling his childhood and his struggle with drug addiction that almost cost him his job, family and life.
Guerrero's father was a wrestler in Mexico and his three older brothers also were wrestlers.
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News of his death hit some fans hard, as many turned to Internet chat rooms to try to find out why he died and to share their grief.
The WWE posted messages from fans who submitted e-mails.
"I was extremely happy when he became WWE Champion because me as a mexican-american had someone to look up to," wrote Adrian Ruiz, a fan. "I know this loss must be tough on the Guerrero family so I would like to say that Eddie may be gone but he has left a legacy that will never be matched."
One fan, Ashley Lindridge, wrote about standing in line for nine hours to meet Guerrero: "He gave the impression to us that he was even happier to meet us than we was to meet him. That was the kind of man Eddie was, such a nice guy, that loved the fans and loved his life."
As of midday Monday, about 200 messages had been posted on http://www.eddicts.com , a fan Web site dedicated to Guerrero. The messages were from fans of all ages, from as far away as Italy and Singapore.
_"I have one of his action figues and now I am going to preseve it and hang it on my wall in Memory of Eddie," said one message from a fan who listed his name as Chase. "And I just want to enclose this by saying GOODBYE EDDIE I hope that someday you and me can meet in heaven and you can teach me how to wrestle and be as good as you."
_"All fans of professional wrestling are shocked and hurt by this terrible news," wrote Matthew Alan Roberts of Lakewood, Ohio. "After watching Eddie perform live and on television many times, I can only say he was a unique talent who deserved all the success he had and much more."
Guerrero was married and had three daughters, ages 3 to 14.
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