Jonathan Echevarria, a celebrated professional wrestler who performed under the moniker “Jaka,” has sadly died at the age of 39 due to a heart attack. Echevarria, who rose to prominence through his performances on the WWE-affiliated EVOLVE show, made his final public appearance at the Boca Raton Pro Wrestling event on August 31. Less than a week later, he succumbed to a fatal heart attack.
The wrestling community was deeply affected by the sudden death of Echevarria, with an outpouring of tributes from both colleagues and fans. Chris Dickison, Echevarria’s longtime tag-team partner and close friend for over 30 years, expressed his sorrow on Instagram. He painted a picture of Echevarria as a cherished figure in the wrestling world, revealing that his friend had been in good health before the unexpected heart attack.
Dickison’s emotional post included several photos of the pair together and a message encouraging those who knew Echevarria, or even just had a memorable interaction with him, to remember the joy he brought. Echevarria was also a member of the wrestling group that included Angel Ortiz of American Elite Wrestling and Mike Santana of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, both from the New England-based Beyond Wrestling promotion.
Ortiz and Santana also shared their grief on social media. Ortiz posted a video montage of Echevarria’s wrestling highlights with a heartfelt message, while Santana simply wrote “Gutted” on his Instagram story.
John Silver, another fellow wrestler, posted a photo of himself with Echevarria, reminiscing about the good times they had together. He described Echevarria as a pleasure to share a locker room with and remembered one particular night as one of the funniest of his life.
In response to Echevarria’s death, his family has established a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the medical expenses incurred during his hospitalization. Among the notable contributors to the fund was Tony Khan, the CEO and President of American Elite Wrestling.