Hana Kimura, a 22-year-old female professional wrestler who was among the cast of the most recent installment of the internationally popular Japanese reality show series “Terrace House,” died Saturday after having been victimized by cyber-bullying, sources close to the matter said.
Kimura’s death was announced by Stardom, a wrestling promotion business she belonged to, without saying anything about the cause of her death.
According to the sources, Kimura had posted a picture of herself and a cat with the message “I love you, please live a long and joyful life. I’m sorry,” on Instagram, shortly before her death was confirmed at a hospital in the early hours of the day.
The Yokohama native was among the six cast members of “Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020,” which is broadcast by Fuji Television. It has also garnered a cult following overseas as it is distributed by U.S. video streaming service Netflix with English subtitles.
There had been comments circulating on social media criticizing Kimura’s remarks and behavior during the show, the sources said.
Stardom said it does not know the details of her death, adding that it will cooperate in conducting a probe into the matter.
“We are speechless at the news of her sudden death,” the Japanese broadcaster said in a statement. “We offer our sincere condolences to her family.”
Fuji TV had already stopped shooting on the show due to the coronavirus spread, and the cast members have since been mostly at home, it said.
Netflix describes the show thus: “Six strangers share a fabulous house in Tokyo, looking for love while living under the same roof. With no script, what happens next is all up to them.”
© KYODO