Former WWE tag team champion passes away aged 63

Former WWE Tag Team Champion Jim 'The Anvil' Neidhart has died at the age of 63.

The legendary tag team star, real name James Neidhart, rose to fame alongside Bret 'The Hitman' Hart in The Hart Foundation.

The 6ft 2in, 281lb powerhouse, from Tampa, Florida, was trained by Bret's dad Stu Hart and married into the famous wrestling dynasty.

'The Anvil' was pronounced dead on Monday [COURTESY]

He and his wife Ellie Hart had three daughters, including current WWE superstar and two-time world champion Natalya, aka Natalie Neidhart.

Bret Hart's revealed his immediate reaction on Twitter: "Stunned and saddened. I just don’t have the words right now."

His death was first revealed by good friend Brian Blair - who often competed in the Killer Bees tag team against Neidhart and Bret Hart.

The Cauliflower Alley Club president said: "It is with a sad heart, that I share with you the passing of a long time friend and colleague, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart.

Jim and Bret Hart lift the title after winning a tag team match [COURTESY]

Neidhart was born in 1955 and excelled in athletics at high school in Orange County, California, setting the California high school record in the shot put in 1973.

He then pursued a football career, with tryouts and preseason games with the NFL's Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys, but was never a main roster player.

Turning his attention to becoming a professional wrestler, the strongman went north to Calgary, Alberta, Canada and was trained by the legendary Stu Hart.

After starting out in Calgary's Stampede Wrestling, the agile big man wrestled across North America, earning championship titles in Florida and Memphis.

However, it was in the then-WWF of 1985 that Neidhart gained great fame, creating one of the best tag teams of the decade alongside Bret Hart.

Managed by Jimmy 'Mouth of the South' Hart - not a relative of the iconic family - The Hart Foundation captured tag team gold on two occasions.

The Hart Foundation won their first tag titles in February 1987 on WWF Superstars from fellow Stampede alumni, The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid).

They captured the gold for a second time at SummerSlam in August 1990, in a two out of three falls match against another great team, Demolition.

He was the father-in-law to Natalya's wife, retired WWE star Tyson Kidd, real name TJ Wilson, who is now a WWE producer.

Neidhart gets punched during a previous fight [COURTESY]

In recent years, he was often seen on the E! reality show Total Divas alongside his wrestling daughter.

Neidhart, who had two other daughters, Jennifer and Kristen, was also the uncle of The British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith's son Harry Smith.

In an official statement, WWE said it was saddened to hear of his death and described when The Hart Foundation was re-formed in controversial fashion in 1997.

Consisting of Neidhart, Bret, Smith, Owen Hart and Brian Pillman, the pro-Canadian faction then stirred United States crowds into a frenzy with their anti-American sermons.

WWE said: "Neidhart last competed in WWE in 1997 but his legacy lives on today through his daughter, Natalya, who displays her father’s signature charisma and toughness every time she steps in the ring.

"WWE extends its condolences to Neidhart’s family, friends and fans."