Antonio Inoki has always been considered one of Japan’s most significant cultural icons, having founded New Japan Pro-Wrestling in 1972 in addition to being one of the top wrestlers of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Sadly though, it has been reported by Yahoo Japan that the 79-year-old- passed away on Saturday morning, Japanese time. And while it’s been reported his cause of death was heart failure, it’s known he has been hospitalized on and off for the past few years due to diabetes and the buildup of abnormal amyloid proteins in numerous organs.
Inoki lived an extraordinary and enthralling life, and in many ways, he was like both Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon combined and helped make pro wrestling in Japan the phenomenon it once was. And WWE recognized him for his contributions to the business as a whole by inducting him into their Hall of Fame in 2010. Besides his wrestling career, he attracted mainstream attention after facing off against boxer Muhammad Ali in a mixed martial arts fight before the term was commonly known and even entered politics in 1989.
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