The wrestling world mourned in May 2020 after Shad Gaspard tragically passed away when he was pulled under by a riptide in Venice Beach after helping save his son's life.
Gaspard's influence went beyond his contributions in the ring, where he famously teamed with JTG as part of Cryme Tyme, as he was also a father, actor, writer, and more.
Speaking to Ryan Satin on Out of Character, Shelton Benjamin discussed how he's still bonded with Shad as he helps with his son and widow.
"When you get in this business, it's really hard to find friends. You make a lot of acquaintances and meet a lot of people, but you don't make a lot of friends. Shad is one of the people that I consider a brother. From the time he got here, we took to each other like ducks to water. Sometimes, Shad would be an acquired taste because Shad is a big...if he walked into the room right now, he would probably take over the interview because he's that guy. He's also the guy that you can't hate him, you can't stay mad at him, you love him to death," he said.
Shelton continued by saying, "We became so close and I was with him when he became a dad. I remember thinking, 'I'm so jealous, you have this beautiful son, I want a son too.' When he passed away, for me, it was like losing a family member. Just like any other family, I look out for his family, his son, his widow, I stay in very close contact with them. If they need anything, if I have it, they have it. It was such a crushing blow to everybody when he left. The least I can do for my friend, my brother, is try to keep as close an eye as I can on his son because now you have a child growing up without a dad and that's...I grew up without a father, so I understand the importance of having that so to have it and lose it so suddenly and so tragically, that kid has a lot of challenges. I want to at least be around to help him. It's not just me. We have a whole network of really close friends. Myself, MVP, Mark Henry, Big Ryck. We're close friends. I would hope that if anything were to happen to me, someone would step up for my family as well."
Shelton closed by discussing how, despite his place in Hollywood, Shad treated everyone the same.
"Shad never acted like a celebrity. once you met him and hung out with him, he would treat you like you were his favorite person in the room in a room full of people that were his favorite people," he said.
Gaspard is set to be part of the upcoming Virtual Basement video game. You can learn more by clicking here.
Benjamin is currently part of WWE Raw.
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