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Professional wrestler and Terrace House cast member Hana Kimura died on Saturday, confirmed Japanese wrestling organization Stardom Wrestling. Her cause of death has not been confirmed. She was 22.
Kimura began her wrestling career at Wrestle-1 in 2016, and went on to win the JWP Junior Championship title. She then joined Stardom Wrestling in 2019, receiving Stardom’s Fighting Spirit Award later that year. Kimura was also a cast member on the most recent season of Netflix’s Terrace House. In the days leading up to her death, Kimura posted a series of troubling tweets and pictures, including a photo of her cat with the caption “goodbye.” She had been subject to online bullying following an episode of Terrace House in which she fought with a fellow cast member over her wrestling uniform.
Members of the wrestling community expressed their grief over Kimura’s death on social media, with Ronda Rousey writing “There are no messages that can heal this wound.” Many pointed out the dangers of cyberbullying. “I hope this serves as a reminder that interactions on social media can have a serious effect on the mental health of anyone, no matter who they are,” wrestling journalist Adam Pacitti tweeted. Netflix Japan will not be releasing the remaining episodes of Terrace House next week as previously scheduled.
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