/UCWE/ - According to reports professional wrestler Marlon Kalkai who went under the moniker “Tiger Khan” passed away early Monday, June 26, 2006 in California, he was in his early thirties.

He is the latest in a line of professional wrestlers that have lost their lives at an early age, Tiger traveled the world in pursuit of his dream of one day walking into a World Wrestling Entertainment ring but he never got that opportunity.

Like most independent wrestlers, he worked hard for very little money and at times no pay at all, putting his body on the line to entertain an audience. He gave 100% of himself in every match whether there were 3 or 3000 people in attendance, he wanted to make sure that they got their moneys worth at a show that he worked on.

He started out as a scrawny teenager in a training facility on Front Street in Brooklyn, NY called Gleason’s Gym, where he trained under the watchful eye of former WWF light heavyweight champion Bobby Bold Eagle. It is there that he made strong ties with other up and coming wrestlers, and decided to make wrestling his career.

Some memorable matches were in the mid 1990’s when he battled former Extreme Championship Wrestling “ECW” star “The Giant” Paul Lauria for the UCW light heavyweight crown in Deer Park, Long Island as well as other arenas in New York. He went on to travel to Europe, Saudi Arabia, England and eventually spent some time with the Hart Family in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where he wrestled for the Hart Brothers' Stampeded Wrestling Organization.

At one point or another he wrestled with the likes of Tony Atlas, King Kong Bundy, Bruce Hart, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, “Ironman” Tommy Cairo, Paul “The Giant” Lauria, Marty Jannetty, Chris Chavis aka “Tatanka”, The Wild Samoans, John Tenta “Earthquake”, “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka, Sir Christopher Michaels, Gino Caruso, The Dudleys, Koko B. Ware, Terry Funk, Jake Roberts and many others.

He will be remembered as talented wrestler and entertainer by his wrestling family and his fans. Our condolences go out to the Kalkai family on this sad day in Independent Wrestling.

The circumstances surrounding his death have yet to be revealed but we will provide an update in regards to funeral arrangements as soon as we are informed.