Howard Finkel: The voice of WWE announcer, dies at 69

Longtime ring announcer Howard Finkel, who for decades boasted one of the most recognizable voices in pro wrestling, and all of sports passed away at the age of 69. The wrestling legend, who first joined the company when it was run by Vince McMahon Sr. in 1975, has tragically died, the company has confirmed. Finkel was born on June 7, 1950 in Newark, New Jersey - making him 69 years old at his passing.He was the very first employee of WWE, having been signed up by Vince McMahon Sr when the organisation was called WWWF (World Wide Wrestling Federation) and was the company's full-time ring announcer by 1979.The ring announcer's booming voice was heard at every WrestleMania from the first one in 1985 in Madison Square Garden right up until the 32nd in Dallas in 2016.

Finkel's trademark call was 'And Newwwwww' to announce a title change.He had been working away from the cameras in a backstage role for the company in recent years.'The Fink' was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2009. Finkel’s voice was wrestling’s soundtrack for years, but he contributed even more than that: He’s responsible for the name “WrestleMania.” He told Slam Magazine in 2014 that he pitched it to Vince McMahon in 1984, basing it off of Beatlemania.After reducing his announcing to part-time in the early 2000s, Finkel worked behind the scenes and called pay-per-view events. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.