Japanese martial arts star Shinichi 'Sonny' Chiba dies aged 82

Sonny Chiba had a lengthy film career spanning fifty years. Photo / Getty Images

Shinichi "Sonny" Chiba has died.

The martial arts veteran who starred in Kill Bill and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift died from Covid-19 complications on Thursday aged 82, Variety reports.

According to the outlet, Chiba caught the virus at the end of July and was hospitalised after his pneumonia worsened on August 8. The Daily Mail reports he was not vaccinated.

He had an impressive career as an actor and choreographer from the 1960s to the 2010s.

His expert martial arts skills added flair to popular movies in Japan and America, including the Kill Bill franchise where he starred as Hattori Hanzō. His character was a retired swordsman who crafted a blade for Uma Thurman's character.

He was born Sadaho Maeda in Fukuoka, Japan on January 22, 1939. He earned a first-degree black belt in Karate and started his film career in 1960.

In The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift he played a Yazuka boss. His other notable film work includes roles in the titles Bullet Train, Champion of Death, and the 1970s Street Fighter trilogy.

Chiba's agent confirmed the news of his death to Variety.

Chiba's manager Timothy Beal also told The Wrap: "He was a great friend and an awesome client. Such a humble, caring and friendly man."

RIP Sonny Chiba. I hope more that only know him for his role in kill bill go find out how much awesome stuff he did before. He legit was hired by Quentin Tarantino since he knew how huge sonny was for the kung fu era movies pic.twitter.com/UnuLGe42jw

— Mechanical found ghost 🇿🇦 (@ProjectAuuman) August 19, 2021

R.I.P. to the legendary Sonny Chiba, an absolute icon in Japanese Cinema.

For Western audiences that are not as familiar with Japanese Cinema, you may recognise him as the unforgettable Hattori Hanzō in Quentin Tarantino's 'Kill Bill'.

Thank you Sonny.#SonnyChiba pic.twitter.com/xedmmBhV3t

— Jōnetsu Nights (@JonetsuNights) August 19, 2021

Sonny Chiba was one of the all-time greats.

With him we got Quentin Tarantino, and I could’ve lived without that.

But without him we also wouldn’t have had Tokyo Drift, and I simply wouldn’t want to live in that world. https://t.co/2UO97j20XQ

— Alex D. (@ThatAlexD) August 19, 2021

He is survived by his three children Juri Manase, Mackenyu Arata and Gordon Maeda.

In a 2007 interview with UK presenter Jonathan Ross, the actor spoke about the roles he enjoyed most.

"For me, the most enjoyable role to play is the bad guy," he said.