Japanese wrestling icon Antonio Inoki passes away at 79.
TOKYO: Antonio Inoki, a Japanese professional wrestling star turned politician, has died aged 79, after years of battling a rare disease, the company he founded said on Saturday.
His death, which public broadcaster NHK said was from heart failure, brought to an end a varied life in the public eye, during which Inoki fought Muhammad Ali, fostered close personal ties with North Korea, and helped free hostages in Iraq.
The Yokohama native-born Kanji Inoki also starred in American wrestling promotions, as well as serving two separate terms in Japan’s legislature.
“New Japan Pro Wrestling is deeply saddened at the passing of our founder, Antonio Inoki,’ the company he started in 1972 said.
“His achievements, both in professional wrestling and the global community, are without parallel and will never be forgotten.”
The lantern-jawed, 1.9-meter (6-foot-three-inch) performer entered politics, winning a seat in the upper house of Japan’s parliament in 1989.
Japanese wrestling icon, Antonio Inoki passes away at 79
He made headlines the next year by going to Iraq during the Gulf War and intervening on behalf of Japanese hostages, who were subsequently released. Tributes to Inoki poured in across social media.
Atsushi Onita, another pro wrestler turned politician, said, “An era has come to an end.” “Thank you, Inoki-san. The supreme father of pro wrestling,” he said.
US wrestling legend Triple H called Inoki “one of the most important figures in the history of our business and a man who embodied the term fighting spirit.”
The legacy of WWE Hall of Famer Antonio Inoki will live on forever, added the chief operating officer of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
Inoki became one of the biggest names on Japan’s pro-wrestling’s circuit in the 1960s. His fame went global in 1976 when he had a mixed martial arts match with boxing legend Muhammad Ali, billed as “the bout of the century.”
There followed appearances in the WWF, as WWE was then known. The company said, “One of the key figures in the history of Japanese wrestling, Antonio Inoki was among the most respected men in sports-entertainment and a bona fide legend in his homeland.”
Inoki developed close ties with North Korea because his mentor, early pro-wrestling superstar Rikidozan, hailed from North Korea but could never go home after the peninsula was divided by war.
He made numerous visits to Pyongyang as a lawmaker and met high-ranking officials, saying Tokyo could play a role in mediating with its nuclear-armed neighbor.
The wrestler said he wanted to “contribute to world peace through sports” and had arranged martial arts and wrestling festivals in North Korea.
