Akebono Taro, a Hawaii-born sumo star and WWE fighter, has passed away. He was 54 years old.
On Thursday, April 11, the family of the first foreign-born wrestler to reach the yokozuna level in the sumo world announced in a statement to The Associated Press that the wrestler had passed away. Early this month.
“We regret to announce that Taro Akebono passed away due to heart failure while receiving treatment at a hospital in the Tokyo metropolitan area earlier this month,” the family told The Associated Press in a statement.
Ressler's wife, Christine Rowan, told the outlet that Ressler passed away “within the past week.”
“I had to deal with some personal things that I had to do before publicly announcing my husband's death,” she said.
Akebono, whose real name is Chad George Ha'aheo Rowan, grew up in rural Honolulu near the Ko'olau Mountains, according to the Associated Press. He moved to Tokyo in his 1980s and by 1993 had won a grand championship and became a “yokozuna”, the sport's highest ranking. According to the paper, he won the tournament 11 times, but ultimately retired from sumo in 2001.
This wrestler's career spanned across sports and continents. According to WWE, he brought his skills to WWE in 2005 when he won an exhibition match in Los Angeles at WrestleMania 21 by throwing Big Show out of the ring.
At the height of his career, he was a giant, both literally and figuratively. He weighed more than 500 pounds and was 6 feet 8 inches tall, according to the Associated Press.
“In 1993, when Akebono became the first foreign-born sumo wrestler to become Grand Champion, the highest ranking sumo wrestler, he paved the way for other foreign sumo wrestlers to succeed in the sport,” said U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel. he wrote in a post to X newspaper. April 10th. “Throughout its 35 years in Japan, Akebono strengthened the cultural bond between the United States and our adopted homeland by uniting us all through sports.”
Yokozuna Wakanohana (real name Masaru Hanada), who was considered Akebono's great rival in the sumo world, reflected on his friend's death in a statement to CNN.
Hanada wrote on CNN, “My rival, friend, and colleague with whom I shared many hardships and joys has departed.'' “I really miss him. I talked about meeting all my fellow sumo wrestlers under a tree in Hawaii when I grow up. I'm really sad that I couldn't fulfill that promise. I'll continue to do my best.” Under a tree in Hawaii See you there. See you there. ”
A statement from the family to The Associated Press said the family plans to hold a “private celebration of life.” “The family asks that you respect their privacy during this period of mourning.”
He is survived by Rowan, a daughter, and two sons.