Pat “Mr. Miyagi” Morita Dies
Noriyuki “Pat” Morita, 73, whose portrayal of the wise and sly master teacher in “The Karate Kid” earned him an Oscar nomination, died Nov. 24 at his home in Las Vegas.
There were conflicting reports about the cause of death. His daughter Aly Morita said he died of heart failure at a Las Vegas hospital. His longtime manager, Arnold Soloway, said the actor died of kidney failure at a hospital while awaiting a transplant.
As Kesuke Miyagi, the mentor to Ralph Macchio’s “Daniel-san” in the 1984 movie, Mr. Morita taught karate and such skills as how to catch flies with chopsticks. He lost the Academy Award for best supporting actor to Haing S. Ngor, who appeared in “The Killing Fields.” But he won more roles, including three “Karate Kid” sequels, the last one in 1994 with actress Hilary Swank.
Source: Washington Post
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