Antonio Inoki, a famous Japanese wrestler who became a colorful parliamentarian, died on Saturday at the age of 79, announced New Japan Pro-Wrestling, the Japanese wrestling federation he founded, confirming information from Japanese media.
He died of a heart attack, according to national broadcaster NHK.
Inoki retired from politics in 2019 and announced a year later that he was suffering from heart disease.
Massive build (1.90m), square jaw and eternal red scarf around his neck, Antonio Inoki (Kanji Inoki of his real name) was one of the pioneers of mixed martial arts in his country.
He shot to fame in 1976 after a world-famous fight against famed boxer Mohamed Ali in Tokyo.
Also having a good sense of business, he had founded New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) four years earlier, which had become the main wrestling federation in Japan.
"
Antonio Inoki was one of the most respected men in sports-entertainment and he was a true legend in his country
," World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) paid tribute to him on its website.
Inoki "
embodied the fighting spirit
" and his legacy "
will live forever
" also reacted on Twitter to Triple H, former glory of American wrestling who became a top WWE official.
He was a senator in Japan for the first time from 1989 to 1995 and ended his sports career in 1998. Re-elected to the Japanese Upper House in 2013, he distinguished himself by initiating a very personal "
sports diplomacy
" with the North Korea, where he went a dozen times to try in particular to help resolve the issue of the kidnappings of Japanese citizens by Pyongyang during the Cold War.
The wrestler, who said he wanted to "
contribute to world peace through sport
" had organized martial arts and wrestling festivals in North Korea, an opportunity for him to meet leaders of the country.
His stays in North Korea had been widely covered by the Japanese media but often embarrassed the Japanese authorities.
In 2013, on his return from a trip to Pyongyang, he was suspended for one month for having left for North Korea without authorization from Parliament.
