Who Is Kitty Toombs?
Kitty Toombs is widely known as the wife of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, the WWE Hall of Fame wrestler and star of the cult film They Live. Born Kitty Jo Dittrich, she married Piper, whose real name was Roderick George Toombs, in 1982. They stayed together for 33 years until his death on July 31, 2015. The couple raised four children, including pro wrestler Teal Piper and Colt Toombs.
Quick Facts: Kitty Toombs
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Birth Name | Kitty Jo Dittrich |
| Known As | Kitty Toombs |
| Known For | Wife of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper |
| Husband | Roderick George Toombs (Roddy Piper) |
| Marriage | 1982 until his death in 2015 |
| Children | Four, including Teal Piper and Colt Toombs |
| TV Appearance | Celebrity Wife Swap (2013) |
| Husband’s Death | July 31, 2015, in Los Angeles |
The Woman Who Married a Villain
In the 1980s, millions of wrestling fans loved to hate Roddy Piper. He wore a kilt, played the bagpipes, and smashed a coconut over an opponent’s head on live TV. WWE later named him the greatest villain in wrestling history.
At home, though, he was a husband and a father. And the woman who knew that side of him best was Kitty.
Love Begins in 1982
A Marriage Before the Fame
Kitty married Roddy in 1982. At that point, he was a well-known name in regional wrestling, but not yet a global star.
That changed fast. In 1984, Piper joined the World Wrestling Federation, now WWE. Within months, his talk segment “Piper’s Pit” made him one of the most talked-about men on TV.
So Kitty married Roddy just before the storm. She was by his side as his life turned upside down.
Standing Beside Him at WrestleMania
In 1985, Piper headlined the very first WrestleMania at Madison Square Garden. He teamed with Paul Orndorff against Hulk Hogan and Mr. T in a match that helped launch the biggest show in wrestling.
A few years later, he took the lead role of John Nada in John Carpenter’s They Live (1988). His famous line about chewing bubble gum became part of pop culture.
Through all of it, Kitty was married to the man behind the character.
Building a Family of Six
Four Children
Kitty and Roddy raised four children together. Two of them later stepped into their father’s world.
Teal Piper Steps Into the Ring
Their daughter, Teal Piper, became a pro wrestler herself. She made her debut for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in August 2019 at the All Out pay-per-view. Soon after, she signed with Women of Wrestling (WOW).
Colt Toombs Carries the Name
Their son, Colt Toombs, also wrestled. He appeared on Portland Wrestling Uncut, a show Roddy helped create in 2012 to revive the classic Portland Wrestling program.
Colt later gave his father’s famous jacket to Ronda Rousey, who wore it for her full-time WWE debut in 2018. Roddy had once given Rousey his blessing to use the nickname “Rowdy.”
Telling Their Father’s Story
Teal and Colt also worked together on a book about their dad, Rowdy: The Roddy Piper Story. It gave fans a family’s view of the man they only knew from the ring.
Kitty on Celebrity Wife Swap
Swapping Homes With Ric Flair’s Family
Kitty rarely stepped in front of cameras. One big exception came in June 2013, when the family appeared on ABC’s Celebrity Wife Swap.
The show sent Kitty to live with legendary wrestler Ric Flair, while Flair’s then-wife Wendy moved into the Piper home.
A Glimpse of Kitty at Home
The episode showed Kitty as a homebody who kept a busy, well-run household. She brought order to the Flair home, and she found Ric’s flashy, fast-paced lifestyle hard to understand.
Wendy, meanwhile, struggled to keep up with Kitty’s daily routine. She admitted on the show, “I don’t know how Kitty does it.”
For many fans, it was the first real look at the woman behind Rowdy Roddy Piper.
Hard Times and Health Battles
Roddy’s Cancer Fight
In November 2006, WWE announced that Roddy had Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He finished radiation treatment in January 2007. Like any spouse, Kitty faced that fight alongside him.
A Love That Lasted
The couple’s marriage stood out in a business known for broken homes and long road trips. Kitty and Roddy stayed married for 33 years.
Saying Goodbye in 2015
On July 31, 2015, Roddy Piper died in his sleep at age 61 at his summer home in Los Angeles, California. His death certificate listed cardiac arrest caused by high blood pressure.
The wrestling world paused. WWE gave him a ten-bell salute on Raw. Vince McMahon sent his condolences to the family. John Carpenter called him a great entertainer and a good friend.
Piper was cremated, and his ashes rest at Crescent Grove Cemetery in Tigard, Oregon.
The Legacy Kitty Helps Carry
Roddy’s honors kept coming after his death. He had already joined the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005, inducted by Ric Flair. In April 2019, WWE honored him with a bronze statue at WrestleMania Axxess in Brooklyn, New York.
Today, his name lives on through his work and through his family. Teal and Colt have carried the Piper story into a new era of wrestling.
Final Thoughts
Wrestling sells larger-than-life characters. But every character goes home at night to real people who see him without the kilt and the bagpipes.
Kitty Toombs never needed the spotlight to matter. Her mark shows up in quieter places: a marriage that held together in a hard business, and children who chose to honor their father’s name rather than run from it.
Some people make history in front of a crowd. Others make it possible for someone else to step out there night after night. Kitty belongs to the second group, and that role deserves its own kind of respect.
For more honest, well-researched stories about the people behind famous names, keep reading The Ripple Magazine.
