Cody Rhodes Donates Large Sum To Memorial Fund For Wrestling Photographer

Wrestling photographer Jessica Lynn Ellsmore passed away last week after a lengthy battle with metastatic cancer. Ellsmore leaves behind a son, who is living with Ellsmore's own mother following her untimely passing, and a GoFundMe page has been set up to help Ellsmore's family get by in the aftermath of this tragedy. WWE star Cody Rhodes, whose real name is Cody Runnels, made a significant contribution to the fundraiser, with a $1,000 donation going through in his name.

Ellsmore, known online as Wrestlebrook, took photos for Limitless Wrestling in Maine, with stars such as Danhausen, Trish Adora, Daniel Garcia, and Lee Moriarty as photography subjects. Since her passing, wrestlers such as JD Drake and Bear Bronson, as well as fans from across the country who had interacted with Ellsmore in person and online, shared remembrances, with Limitless Wrestling even memorializing Ellsmore with a 10-bell salute during their most recent event.

Rhodes is no stranger to charity, having previously organized a charity campaign to support cancer patients in memory of independent wrestler Kris Travis, along with taking part in an event to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society back in 2019 with Shawn Spears and current AEW World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman. Additionally, Rhodes and his wife Brandi were an instrumental part of All Elite Wrestling's community outreach program during his time with the promotion, organizing charitable events for causes across the country.

Outside of his charitable contributions, Rhodes is currently preparing to face Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WWE WrestleMania 39, set to take place in just a matter of weeks. As pointed out by Paul Heyman during a recent "WWE Raw" segment, if Rhodes does succeed in his challenge, he'll no doubt have plenty of charity appearances ahead of him for the foreseeable future.