KILL Bill actor Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba died on Thursday at the age of 82. He was best known for playing the sword maker Hattori Hanzo in the Quentin Tarantino action flick and its sequel.
The martial arts legend passed away in Chiba Prefecture Kimitsu hospital in Japan after battling pneumonia. The pneumonia was reportedly caused by Covid, according to Japan’s Oricon News, and Sonny had been in the hospital since August 8.
The Japanese actor's first big international hit was 1974's The Street Fighter, which was dubbed in English and distributed to Western audiences by New Line Cinema.
Sonny went on to make two sequels to the popular flick – Return of the Street Fighter and The Street Fighter's Last Revenge.