The entertainment industry has sadly lost another star. It’s been confirmed that actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, whose credits include the original two Mortal Kombat movies, has died at age 75.
As shared via Deadline, it’s been shared that Tagawa passed away “due to complications from a stroke early this morning surrounded by his children.” This news was confirmed by the actor’s family.
While the Mortal Kombat franchise is just one example of Tagawa’s impressive career, he certainly gave a lot to fans of the property, having appeared as Shang Tsung in the original 1995 film adaptation and its 1997 follow-up Mortal Kombat Annihilation.
His role as the character was so well-received that he went on to voice the character in 2019’s Mortal Kombat 11 and the game Mortal Kombat: Onslaught would use his physical likeness as well. Outside of that particular franchise, however, Tagawa also appeared in the likes of The Last Emperor, Showdown in Little Tokyo, and John Carpenter‘s Vampires.
A number of other roles including such projects as License to Kill, Pearl Harbor, and Tim Burton‘s Planet of the Apes also featured appearances from Tagawa. From his very first role as a minor character in John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China, he’s almost always brought his martial arts skills to good use in his acting appearances.
As such, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is an actor that just about anyone can recognize from something. It’s certainly disappointing, then, to hear of his passing. At the very least, however, he had a great career and his personal life seems to have treated him quite well also. With that in mind, it’s certainly bittersweet to look back at Tagawa’s career and see the success he’s had in so many different mediums.
Tagawa is survived by his three children, Calen, Brynne, and Cana, as well as two grandchildren, River and Thea Clayton. Additionally, he lived on the island of Kauai with his wife Sally.