Antonio Inoki, the Japanese wrestler-turned-politician, died of heart failure on Saturday, according to local media reports. The 79-year-old mixed martial arts fighter was wheelchaired due to spinal issues since 2021. 

The New Japan Pro-Wrestling Co said that Inoki was “upbeat and in good spirits” when he died.

Inoki will be remembered for his multifaceted public life which saw him as a wrestler, wrestling promoter, and politician. In every vocation that he took up, he left a lasting legacy. Some of his work, such as his diplomatic mission in Iraq, left a lasting effect on him as well.

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Inoki was in Iraq negotiating the release of more than 100 Japanese families living in Iraq who were taken prisoner and held as human shield by the Saddam Hussain government during the gulf war. After visiting Iraq, Inoki converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Hussain Inoki.

At that time, Inoki was serving in the upper house of the Japanese parliament, or the House of Councillors. Saddam Hussain invaded Kuwait in 1990 and hoped to stall military retaliation by holding foreigners hostage. 

Negotiation between the Japanese government and Iran was on but it moved in a very slow pace. Inoki, who was not part of the foreign ministry then, used his status as a popular wrestler and reached out to the Iraqis. He visited Iraq three times between September and December 1990 in his attempt to free the hostages.

Reports from Iraq showed Inoki praying at the mosque in Karbala with his hands raised and face skywards. It was reported that Inoki was the first Japanese to be admitted to Karbala and two sheep were sacrificed to induct the wrestler into Islam.

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The religious leaders at Karbala taught him the norms of Islamic prayers and showed him the steps to becoming a Muslim. 

The Japanese media had portrayed the move as a PR stunt of a politician who understood the culture and religion of his host country. However, in 2012, Inoki confirmed that he took up Islam while in Iraq and adopted the name Mohammad Hussain Inoki.

The wrestler-turned-politician, however, identified both as an Islam convert and a Muslim.