HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hawaii sports legend Akebono Taro, who made history when he became the first non-Japanese-born sumo wrestler to reach the sport’s highest title, has died. He was 54.

Taro Akebono, the first foreign-born yokozuna and later a mixed martial artist and pro wrestler, died of heart failure in early April at a hospital near Tokyo, according to a source close to him.

Taro Akebono, the first non-Japanese yokozuna grand champion sumo wrestler, has died Taro Akebono, the first foreign sumo wrestler, died at the age of 54. Born Chad Rowan in Hawaii, he shattered ...

David Madison/Getty Akebono Taro, the Hawaiian-born sumo wrestling star and WWE fighter, has died. He was 54. On Thursday, April 11, the family of the wrestler, who was the first foreign-born sumo ...

Imagine stepping into the MMA ring with a former sumo wrestling legend who towers over you by a good foot and weighs nearly ...

Akebono became the first non-Japanese-born wrestler to ever reach the grand champion status of Yokozuna, the highest rank in sumo. The world is mourning the loss of Akebono Taro, one of Hawaii’s ...