Former WWE Referee Tim White Passes Away

Tim White, best known for his time as a referee in WWE, has passed away. PWInsider reports that the longtime official and road agent passed away on Sunday at the age of 68. Details of his passing have not been revealed.

White got his start in wrestling as a referee back in 1985 while he was working as the agent and assistant for Andre the Giant, who counted him among his closest friends. He began part-time as an official before he went full-time as a referee following Andre’s passing in 1993. White worked regularly for the company as a ref for almost 10 years, including overseeing the infamous Hell in a Cell bought between Mankind and the Undertaker.

Considered one of the company’s top referees, he worked regularly in that capacity until he was forced to retire after a shoulder injury he suffered during the Chris Jericho vs. Triple H Hell in a Cell match at Judgment Day 2002. He returned to officiate the Chris Jericho vs. Christian match at WrestleMania XX in 2004 but reinjured his shoulder and retired soon after and began working as a road agent.

White became known in the mid-2000s for one of WWE’s more controversial series of segments, where he appeared depressed and unsuccessfully attempted suicide several times. The segments were taped from his bar in Cumberland, Rhode Island known as The Friendly Tap and aired from December 2005 through April 2006, and drew heavy criticism of being in very poor taste particularly in light of Eddie Guerrero’s death in November of 2005.

White would continue working backstage for the company until he was released in January of 2009, but would return for occasional appearances. He was interviewed for HBO’s Andre the Giant documentary and appeared in the 2021 episode of WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures focused on Andre.

On behalf of 411, our condolences to the family, friends, and fans of Mr. White. He will be missed.