Veteran WWE hall of fame ring announcer Howard Finkel has passed away at the age of 69.

Finkel, known as ‘The Fink’, made his ring announcing debut in 1977 at Madison Square Garden for the WWF, before the organization came to be known as the WWE.

He continued in that role for over two decades before moving into a part-time announcing position and primarily working for the WWE in a behind-the-scenes capacity.

A WWE statement read: “When considering the greatest ring announcers in the history of sports and sports-entertainment, you’d be hard-pressed to name one better than Howard Finkel.”