Hana Kimura Japanese Wrestler and Star of Netflix Series Dies at 22

Hana Kimura Japanese Wrestler and Star of Netflix Series Dies at 22

Hana Kimura, a Japanese professional wrestler who starred in the Netflix reality series “Terrace House: Tokyo,” has died. She was 22.

World Wonder Ring Stardom, a women’s professional wrestling promotion group based in Toyko, confirmed her death on Twitter on Saturday.

The cause of death and when she died were not immediately available. Ms. Kimura was found dead at her home, The Associated Press reported, citing Japanese news media.

“We are very sorry to report that our Hana Kimura has passed away,’’ World Wonder Ring Stardom said. “Please be respectful and allow some time for things to process, and keep your thoughts and prayers with her family and friends.”

The group described Ms. Kimura, known for her pink hair, as someone who “marched to the beat of her own drum.”

The most recent post on Ms. Kimura’s Instagram account, where she had more than 241,000 followers, showed her posing with a cat with a message saying, “Goodbye.” Another post said, “I love you, live long and happy. I’m sorry,” The A.P. reported.

Some of her other posts on social media suggested she had been cyber-bullied, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported.

Ms. Kimura was featured as a cast member on the Netflix reality series “Terrace House: Tokyo,” in which cameras followed six strangers, ages 20 to 31, “looking for love while living under the same roof,’’ according to Netflix.

A representative for Netflix could not be immediately reached on Sunday.

Tributes to Ms. Kimura appeared on social media, including one from the American wrestler Ronda Rousey.

“I know the trolls that spend their days harassing others online are battling their own mental demons, but please find a way to release your venom in a way that won’t poison others,” she wrote on Instagram. “Even a straw’s weight can be the one to break a camel’s back. Just the tiniest push could be what sends someone over the edge.”

Ms. Kimura was a second-generation wrestler, the daughter of the pro wrestler Kyoko Kimura.

The younger Ms. Kimura passed an audition to be part of the Wrestle-1 Japanese group in 2015 and made her professional wrestling debut the next year, according to IMBd.com. She also performed with Sendai Girls’ Pro Wrestling, the site said.

She competed in several matches in the Ring of Honor wrestling series, including a six-woman tag match at a sold-out event at Madison Square Garden, according to the Ring of Honor website.

Original - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/24/world/asia/hana-kimura-aew-dead.html

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