It has been reported by Stardom (‘World Wonder Ring Stardom’) that Hana Kimura has passed away at the age of 22.
The news comes hours after several disturbing posts from the performer that included graphic images of self-harm, leading many to concern for her well-being. The posts were later deleted and there had been no update on her until Stardom announced her passing.
Stardom put out a statement in Japanese, which was translated by Reddit user hybrid3415:
Regarding the death of Hana Kimura
Our Hana Kimura passed away today on May 23.
We apologize for the sudden concern and sorrow for our fans and all concerned.
Regarding the details, there are some parts that we have not yet grasped, so we will continue to cooperate with the investigation between the parties concerned.
We pray deeply for Hana Kimura’s life.
We will discuss the future with her relatives.
In addition, we will also strive to ensure the mental wellbeing of all our roster.
Kimura had been part of the Netflix reality series ‘Terrace House’ and had been subjected to online harassment stemming from her portrayal on the show following a series of events, including a dispute with another cast member over an incident involving one of her wrestling costumes being ruined.
She had been wrestling since 2016 and became one of the promotion’s key stars. On January 4th this year, she teamed with Giulia losing to Mayu Iwatani & Arisa Hoshiki in a dark match at Wrestle Kingdom 14. It was the first women’s match at the Tokyo Dome since October 2002.
Her career began at Wrestle-1 where she trained and joined Stardom early in her career. This included matches alongside her mother Kyoko, who retired in 2017 and had a standout career of her own.
Along with Kagetsu, the mother and daughter team won the Artist of Stardom Championship in October 2016 from Io Shirai, Kairi Hojo (Kairi Sane in WWE) & Mayu Iwatani.
Kimura won the same titles with Jungle Kyona and Konami in May 2019 as part of the Tokyo Cyber Squad group, which Kimura was the leader of.
Kimura and Kagetsu became the Goddess of Stardom champions in June 2017 defeating Hiroyo Matsumoto & Jungle Kyona, holding the titles for almost one year until they were defeated by Mayu Iwatani & Saki Kashima.
In 2019, Kimura won Stardom’s annual 5-Star Grand Prix defeating Konami in the final. This came in the same year that she focused full-time on Stardom.
Kimura was added to the cast of ‘Terrace House’ last September. It was a big break for her as one of Stardom’s top stars receiving a role in the unscripted reality series.
Kimura last wrestled in the Cinderella tournament back in March wrestling Mayu Iwatani to a draw in the opening round.
This is a tragic story involving a woman that has died at a far too young age at 22. There are few details available right now and we will continue to monitor and cover this story in the days to come.
Our condolences to the family and friends of Hana Kimura.
