WWE’s Shad Gaspard’s Wife Speaks Out for the First Time Since He Died After Getting Stuck in a Rip Current
For the first time since her husband’s death, WWE’s Shad Gaspard‘s wife, Siliana Gaspard, is speaking publicly about the accident and her husband’s legacy. As At The Buzzer previously reported, on May 17, former WWE star Gaspard, his son, 10-year-old Aryeh Gaspard, and Siliana were enjoying a day at Venice Beach when he and Aryeh, along with a group of other people, got caught in a strong rip current.
And while first responders attempted to save all of those involved, Shad couldn’t be saved. In fact, he made sure that first responders didn’t help him, but helped his 10-year-old son first. And as Siliana told People, that doesn’t surprise her at all.
RELATED: Shad Gaspard’s Body Discovered Three Days After He Was Swept Out to Sea By a Strong Rip Current
“I’m not surprised that Shad did that, because that’s who Shad is. I wasn’t surprised to see my son come back. I was surprised that Shad didn’t. But he was just himself at that moment. That’s really the best way I can explain it. He just did exactly what he would do.”
Three days after Shad disappeared into the ocean, on May 20, the wrestler’s body was found washed ashore on Venice beach. According to CNN, he was found by a passerby who notified police.
Now in the same interview with People, Siliana is remembering the good man her husband always was.
“Shad was a family man, an excellent father, and it shows in our son,” Siliana said of her late husband before praising the man her son is becoming. “Everyone has nothing but good things to say about him, and how well-behaved he is, how well-mannered he is, and they all give me credit. But the truth is, it took two of us, and Shad was a big part of that.”
And now that one-third of their family’s equation is gone, the grieving wife says she and Aryeh are “just doing their best to push forward.” And they are pushing forward by making sure Shad’s legacy lives on.
“We’re just trying to ensure that his legacy lives on through his projects and, of course, our son. He is the most important thing for both of us. So I have to stay strong for him.”
Siliana also talked about the first time she met Shad. It was at a Tampa Bay bar in 2009, she told People. But what made him stand out of all the other people in the bar that January night? Siliana said it was his size and his easy-going personality.
“He was the biggest person there, so you couldn’t miss him. He was just very charismatic after you spent some time with him, he had an energy. He had a presence that it was just enjoyable to be around him. Shad was like the king of the gentle giants. His joke with us was because I’m so much smaller than him, people would look at him and think that he was the one not to mess with, but actually he’s the sweet one and I’m the mean one.”
Within four months of meeting each other, Siliana moved to Texas to be with Shad. And less than a year after that, they became husband and wife, as well as parents to their little boy, who has since become his dad’s mini-me.
According to the mom, Aryeh had inherited a love of fitness from his dad as well, particularly a love for boxing. “Shad would write it out for him. He had it on schedule and then they would box daily, whether it was at home or on the beach. I mean, literally every day together, almost all day.”
RELATED: Shad Gaspard’s Family Asks for Privacy After the Former WWE Wrestler Goes Missing in the Ocean
And while Shad may have worn a lot of hats, there was always one thing he loved more than all the other things—his family. “Yeah, he was a wrestler. Yeah, he was more than 6-feet tall, but at the end of the day, he just really cared for his family more than anything.”
Sara Vallone has been a writer and editor for the last four and a half years. A graduate of Ohio University, she enjoys celebrity news, sports, and articles that enhance people's lives.
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