Antonio Inoki Tragic Cause of Death: Famed Wrestler Dead at 79

By Alexandria Reeves

Antonio Inoki, a famed Japanese wrestler-turned-politician, died. He was 79.

Inoki's founded promotion, the New Japan Pro-Wrestling, first confirmed the tragic news on its official website on Saturday.

"New Japan Pro-Wrestling is deeply saddened at the passing of our founder, Antonio Inoki. His achievements, both in professional wrestling and the global community, are without parallel and will never be forgotten. Our thoughts are with Inoki's family, friends, and fans," a separate post on Twitter reads.

The same post from the New Japan Pro-Wrestling revealed that Antonio Inoki's cause of death was due to amyloidosis, a rare disease he had battled for years. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the rare condition refers to abnormal amyloid deposits in different parts and organs of the body, including the heart, spleen, kidneys, and brain, to name a few.

It revealed that almost 70 percent of the people diagnosed with it are men, and it can occur due to a primary condition or as a cause of another health issue.

Following the announcement of his death, his friends, colleagues, fans, and former competitors honored him in heartfelt tributes.

In Jan. 96, I met Antonio Inoki for the first time. I came as an absolute mark, with a bunch magazines for him to sign and reciting NJPW and Lucha history with him in the elevator. I must have made an impression, because he asked for my number, and 2 weeks later his assistant pic.twitter.com/IrmHvOQ6vn
— Roy Lucier (@roylucier) October 1, 2022

Antonio Inoki's Legacy

The Yokohama native grew up in the city before moving to Brazil with his family at the age of 13. He initially worked on a coffee plantation and continued to do so until Rikidozan scouted and recruited him to become a professional wrestler.

Rikidozan, the father of Japanese pro-wrestling, discovered him when Inoki started his amateur wrestling career at 17.

He officially made his debut on Sep. 30, 1960, and used his birth name Kanji before being renamed Antonio in 1962. Following Rikidozan's death, he exited the Japanese Wrestling Association and launched his new promotion, the New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and held its first event in Mar. 1972.

Alongside Shohei "Giant" Baba, the duo made pro-wrestling a popular sport in their home country. Finally, Inoki scored one of his biggest career milestones in 1976 when he scored the chance to fight Muhammad Ali in the Nippon Budokan.

Although he entered politics in 1989, Inoki remained an active wrestler until his retirement in 1998.

Before his death, he was still able to surprise everyone with a video message in January to mark the 50^th year celebration of NJPW's launch. The clip was played before Wrestle Kingdom 16 in the Tokyo Dome.