Virgil Runnels, a.k.a. “The American Dream” or Dusty Rhodes, was a Hall of Fame wrestler, best known for his three NWA World Heavyweight Championship wins.

Runnels got his start in wrestling in 1968 and remained active in his career until 2007. A charismatic figure who played the "Common Man," he was known as much for his skills on the microphone as his moves in the ring. In 2007 he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his wrestler sons Dustin and Cody, a.k.a. Goldust and Stardust, respectively.

Between his appearances as a wrestler and his behind-the-scenes work as a writer and producere, Runnels had more than 150 television credits to his name. He provided commentary and appeared in films such as the 1999 documentary The Unreal Story of Professional Wrestling and 2013’s The History of WWE: 50 Years of Sports Entertainment. He also wrote for WWF Raw, WWE Superstars and WWE Smackdown!, among others.

Runnels died June 11, 2015, in Orlando, Florida. He was 69.