WWE confirms the passing of Mae Young

WE has confirmed reports of Mae's death and has issued the following statement on their official website:

"WWE is greatly saddened by the news that WWE Hall of Famer Mae Young, beloved member of the WWE family and oldest living squared circle personality, has passed at the age of 90.

Johnnie Mae Young was truly one of the greatest female competitors to ever lace up a pair of boots. A proud competitor for three quarters of a century and valued part of WWE to her last day, Young truly blazed a path for future female grapplers beginning in the 1940s.

From the moment she first stepped through the ropes, Young established herself as one of the most active and successful female Superstars – including becoming the first U.S. Women's Champion, carrying out one of the most storied rivalries of the time with the legendary Mildred Burke in 1954 and being among the first female competitors to tour post-war Japan.

In addition to her contributions inside the ring, Young played a huge part in training the Superstars of tomorrow, including late, great Hall of Famer The Fabulous Moolah – the longest reigning champion in sports-entertainment history.

In recent years, Young's career received the recognition it deserved. In 2005, she and several of her contemporaries were profiled in 'Lipstick and Dynamite,' a documentary film about the early pioneers of women's wrestling. In 2008, Young joined co-star, trainee and late friend Moolah and 'Sensational' Sherri Martel in the highest class of Superstars, as she became only the third female  to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame at that time.

The entire WWE Universe offers a standing ovation to a true queen of the canvas and bids Mae Young a heartfelt farewell."

Stephanie McMahon has also confirmed Mae's death by posting the following on her official Twitter page:

"A true pioneer and legend has passed tonight. Long live the memory of my friend and WWE Hall of Famer."

As previously reported, Mae had been in ill health for the past month or so after unexpectedly falling ill after being asked to appear on this month's "Old School" edition of WWE RAW. Mae was hospitalized but was eventually released and was under the care of hospice at her home in Columbia, South Carolina ever since. Reports later surfaced that Mae was breathing with the assistance of an oxygen machine and that one of her kidneys was in the process of shutting down. It was then reported that Mae had been taken off of life support last week. It had been previously reported that Mae had passed away last week, however those initial reports were retracted as the original source reportedly received incorrect information. However, this time around, that unfortunately is not the case.