Cause of deathAccording to USA Today, the ‘Mortal Kombat’ star’s cause of death was revealed to be complications from a stroke, his spokesperson Penny Vizcarra confirmed. Tagawa’s film careerTagawa, an actor and producer, became widely popular for his turn as the soul-stealing sorcerer Shang Tsung in the ‘Mortal Kombat’ franchise. He first took on the role in the 1995 film adaptation which went on to become a surprise smash hit, grossing over $100 million at the box office. At the time, the film was made on a budget of around $20 million. He returned with the consecutive sequels like ‘Mortal Kombat: Annihilation’ and even reprised the iconic role in the 2013 web series ‘Mortal Kombat: Legacy’. He most recently lent his likeness to ‘Mortal Kombat: Onslaught’ (2023).The actor, who was also a martial arts expert, put his skills on display in Hollywood films, such as ‘Rising Sun’ and ‘Showdown in Little Tokyo’. He was also part of the ensemble cast of Bernardo Bertolucci’s acclaimed 1987 film titled ‘The Last Emperor’, which went on to win nine Oscars, including Best Picture. Tagawa also stepped into another major video-game adaptation, ‘Tekken’ as the character Heihachi Mishima. Although the film did not match the success of ‘Mortal Kombat’, it added to his long-standing connection with the gaming world. Voice artistHe also lent his voice to titles such as ‘Soldier Boyz’, ‘Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu’, and ‘World of Warcraft: Legion’.
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