Professional wrestler Hana Kimura has died at 22, Japanese professional wrestling organization Stardom said Saturday.
Although her cause of death has not been made public, the athlete reportedly posted a series of troubling images and messages about being the victim of cyberbullying to her social media accounts on Friday.
Kimura began her career in professional wrestling in 2016. She was the recipient of Stardom's 2019 Fighting Spirit Award and had recently appeared on the Netflix reality show Terrace House.
The international pro wrestling community mourned her death on social media Saturday, with many posting messages about the impact of online abuse.
"There are no messages that can heal this wound," WWE star Ronda Rousey wrote on Instagram. "Cyber Bullying [sic] is a very real and growing threat to us all as a society."
There is nothing I can say or do that will make this hurt less or make sense. I’m lucky I got to know you. I’m glad I got the chance to be on your team. ————————————————— Actions and words mean something. For better or for worse. Choose to be better. #HanaKimura
Simone Johnson, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's daughter who recently signed with the WWE, also paid tribute to Kimura on Twitter.
she was bullied to death. if you partook in any of this, don’t you EVER call yourself a wrestling fan. rest in peace. ❤️ https://t.co/sLcBdMk1OG
I couldn’t imagine dealing with hate on social media at 22. I can barely handle it now. Some of you should be ashamed of yourselves. 💔 #HanaKimura #RIPHanaKimura
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org.