Taro Akebono dies at 54: what was the cause of death?

Sources close to the former wrestler have reported that Taro Akebono, the first sumo champion born outside of Japan, passed away at 54. Akebono, whose real name was Chad George Haaheo Rowan, was born in Hawaii in 1969. The Japanese news agency Kyodo reported that the cause of his death was heart failure, but it did not give an exact date for his passing.

During his career, Akebono won 11 major tournaments and was the first sumo wrestler born outside of Japan to achieve the highest rank in the sport, known as “yokozuna.” He became the 64th wrestler to hold this title in 1993. Three years later, in April 1996, he was granted Japanese citizenship.

Akebono was a towering figure, standing at 2.03 meters tall and weighing 226.79 kilograms at the height of his career. He made his professional debut in March 1988 and retired from competition after the 2001 New Year’s Grand Sumo Tournament.

After retiring from sumo wrestling, Akebono became a coach and stable manager, training and managing wrestlers who no longer competed.

Akebono, originally from rural Hawaii, moved to Tokyo at age 18 to pursue his dream of becoming a sumo wrestler. Within five years of arriving in Japan, he became a yokozuna, the highest rank in sumo wrestling, making him the first foreigner to achieve this rank.

In 1998, Akebono was selected to represent Japan in the sumo ritual during the Nagano Winter Olympics opening ceremony. The Japanese people highly value the virtues of hard work, patience, strength, and dignity embodied by yokozuna.