One of pro wrestling’s most memorable heels of the 1980s has died at the age of 70.

World Wrestling Entertainment confirmed on Sunday the death of Josip Petruzovic, who rose to fame as Nikolai Volkoff, a pro-USSR, anti-American wrestler best known for his tag team with Khosrow “The Iron Sheik” Vaziri.

Petruzovic had been recently hospitalized for dehydration.

Tributes for Petruzovic poured in from around the wrestling world with news of his passing.

“I always loved our conversations backstage ,” wrote WWE wrestler Nattie Neidhart. “Nikolai Volkoff was so special to my dad and the entire Hart family. We will miss you, Nikolai. My thoughts and condolences go out to Nikolai’s family.”

“Nikolai Volkoff was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, in this industry or otherwise,” wrote The New Day's Ettore “Big E” Ewen. “Always brought a smile to my face to see him when we were in Baltimore. Condolences to his loved ones.”

“RIP Nikolai Volkoff,” wrote Ring of Honor’s Frankie “Kazarian” Gerdelman. “One of our industries great characters. One of the first action figures I had as a child. As much as I enjoyed his singing of the Russian National Anthem, I will always be a Cara Mia guy. Godspeed.”

Born in Croatia, Petruzovic emigrated to Canada in 1967 and trained in Calgary at Stu Hart’s legendary Dungeon. After his first few years in the industry working under the name “Bepo Mongol” in a number of National Wrestling Alliance territories, Petruzovic’s Volkoff gimmick took off. While he briefly worked for Vince McMahon Sr.’s World Wide Wrestling Federation in 1968, he returned to the company in 1974 and would embark on a famous feud with then-world champion Bruno Sammartino that included a title match at a sold-out Madison Square Garden. He went on to have another world title feud against Bob Backlund.

In 1984, Petruzovic and Vaziri formed a team with “Classy” Freddie Blassie as their manager. The pair was pushed as foreign heels with Petruzovic singing the Soviet national anthem before every match and Vaziri reciting an anti-American promo. They captured the WWF Tag Team title at the inaugural WrestleMania in 1985, defeating the U.S. Express of Barry Windham and Mike Rotunda.

Petruzovic began to more frequently wrestle singles matches in the late-‘80s, working programs against the likes of Hulk Hogan, Corporal Kirchner and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. In 1987, he began teaming with James Harrell, who was working under the “Boris Zhukov” gimmick to form The Bolsheviks, managed by “The Doctor of Style” Slick. Lower midcarders for the majority of their run, the Bolsheviks feuded with teams like the Bushwackers and Rockers, memorably losing to the Hart Foundation in just :19 at WrestleMania VI in Toronto.

Petruzovic turned babyface in 1990, embracing the West and feuding with Iraqi-sympathizer Sgt. Slaughter during the first Gulf War.

After sporadic appearances in the ensuing years, Petruzovic returned to the WWF in 1994 as a member of Ted DiBiase’s Million Dollar Corporation. The storyline went that Petruzovic had fallen into financial difficulties and was forced to work for DiBiase against his will. After a year of mistreatment from DiBiase, Petruzovic helped then-WWF Champion Kevin “Diesel” Nash retain his title over “Sycho” Sid Eudy by chasing away DiBiase, then Sid’s manager.

After leaving the WWF in 1995, Petruzovic occasionally worked independent shows on weekends while working in the Baltimore area as a code enforcement officer and would pop up from time to time on WWE programming in cameo appearances.

He was inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.

Petruzovic is survived by his wife and two daughters.