Hawaiian-born sumo wrestling star Akebono Taro has died at the age of 54 due to heart failure.
On Wednesday night, news broke that Akebono had died in a hospital in Tokyo. Born Chadwick Haheo Rowan, Akebono was raised in his home state of Hawaii and competed in various sports including dabbling in sumo wrestling when he was young. While checking in as one of the largest sumo practitioners in the sport’s history, measuring 6-foot-8 and well over 500 pounds, this proved to his advantage as he won multiple championships over the years. His sumo career culminated in his earning the rank of yokozuna in 1993, where he became the first non-Japanese wrestler to reach the pinnacle of the sport.