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Michael Jones, WWE star who portrayed 'Million-Dollar Man's' bodyguard Virgil, dies at 61

Wherever "The Million-Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase was, Virgil was not far behind. The man who portrayed the iconic wrestling character died Wednesday.

Michael Jones, the person behind the iconic number-two man in DiBiase's Millionaire Inc. stable during the WWE's '80s boom period, died Wednesday morning. Jones, who played collegiate football and amateur wrestled, got into sports entertainment after a chance meeting with pioneering Black wrestler Tony Atlas. From there, he debuted in a regional promotion in Memphis as "Soul Train Jones," working there for two years before ascending to national company World Wrestling Federation, WWE's previous identity, where he made his mark.

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