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Sumo wrestling nice Akebono Taro has died. He was 54.
Akebono, born Chad Rowan in 1969, was the primary foreign-born wrestler to succeed in the extent of “yokozuna” — or grand champion — in Japan. Rising up on the agricultural facet of the Koolau Mountains in Honolulu, Hawaii, he moved to Tokyo within the late Eighties and gained his first grand championship in 1993. On the peak of his profession, he reportedly weighed in at 500 kilos and stood 6’8″ tall.
“It’s with unhappiness that we announce Akebono Taro died of coronary heart failure earlier this month whereas receiving care at a hospital within the Tokyo space,” the household mentioned in an announcement.
His spouse Christine Rowan, revealed that he died “inside the previous week” however declined to provide particulars in an e mail to The Associated Press. “I needed to have a tendency to private issues that wanted to be completed previous to publicly saying my husband’s dying,” she mentioned.
In response to native media, the Sumo legend had been battling sickness since collapsing within the metropolis of Kitakyushu seven years in the past. He succumbed to his illnesses earlier this month at a Tokyo hospital.
Hundreds of thousands Pay Their Respect to Akebono Taro
The USA ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, offered his condolences on X, writing:
“I used to be deeply saddened to study of the passing of Akebono, an enormous on this planet of sumo, a proud Hawaiian and a bridge between america and Japan.
“When Akebono turned the first-ever foreign-born grand champion, sumo’s highest rank, in 1993, he opened the door for different overseas wrestlers to search out success within the sport. All through his 35 years in Japan, Akebono strengthened the cultural ties between america and his adopted homeland by uniting us all via sport. I ship my sincerest condolences to his household and mates and to sumo followers in all places.”
Hawaii Gov. Josh Inexperienced wrote in a Fb put up that Akebono had “impressed untold numbers of our youth that with dedication and exhausting work, attaining your desires is feasible.”
“A champion in each the land of his delivery and his adopted island residence, he served as an envoy for Hawai‘i in Japan and his legacy will stay on,” Inexperienced wrote.
The 11-time grand match winner retired in 2001 on account of repeated knee accidents. Greater than 11,000 spectators attended his leaving ceremony.
He briefly labored with World Wrestling Entertainment in 2005, competing in a sumo match with WWE Celebrity Huge Present at WrestleMania 21. Akebono gained the kayfabe conflict with a koshinage, throwing his opponent solely out of the ring.
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