Hana Kimura, Pro Wrestler and ‘Terrace House’ Cast Member, Dies at 22
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UPDATED: Hana Kimura, a Japanese professional wrestler who was also a cast member on the most recent season of Netflix’s reality show “Terrace House,” has died, Variety has confirmed. She was 22.
Stardom Wrestling, the organization Kimura was part of, issued a statement on the news on Friday.
“We are very sorry to report that our Hana Kimura has passed away,” it wrote. “Please be respectful and allow some time for things to process, and keep your thoughts and prayers with her family and friends.”
A cause of death was not immediately clear. However, the most recent update on her Instagram story on Friday featured a photo of her with her cat, with a caption that reads “goodbye.” She had also recently posted a series of troubling tweets, one of which, according to a fan translation, read that she didn’t “want to be a human anymore.”
“Thank you to everyone who supported me,” read another message, which also implied that she had been cyberbullied. “I love it. I’m weak, I’m sorry.”
Kimura, whose mother, Kyoko Kimura, was also a pro wrestler, made her debut at Wrestle-1 in 2016, winning her first title, the JWP Junior Championship, later that year. She also wrestled for Stardom during that time, and officially left Wrestle-1 to join Stardom in 2019, where she was the leader of the Tokyo Cyber Squad faction. She twice won the Artist of Stardom championship, in addition to a Goddess of Stardom championship.
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Kimura was also a member of “Terrace House: Tokyo,” the most recent season of the Japanese reality show which sees six young adults live together. She joined in the 20th episode, and was part of the current cast before “Terrace House,” like the rest of Netflix’s productions, halted shooting due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Episodes 39-44 of “Terrace House: Tokyo” were previously scheduled to debut in Japan starting next Monday. However, Netflix announced that, in the wake of the news, their release has been postponed.
The wrestling community shared their condolences to Kimura on Friday night. “Distraught,” wrestler Jamie Hayter wrote. “I don’t even know what to say or feel. Numb. I can’t express it. RIP Hana Kimura. Such a wonderful human being. The gaijin helper. All the potential. A beautiful soul. Kind. I just can’t even put in to f—ing words how upsetting this is. I hope you found peace.”
Wrestler Sü Yüng wrote, “I will always love and miss you, my friend. You are my little sister. ”
See more tributes to Kimura below.
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