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Jimmy Wang Yu, best known for martial arts blockbusters One-Armed Swordsman and The Chinese Boxer, died on Tuesday at a Taipei hospital, Deadline reports. He was 79.
The former action star’s eldest daughter, Linda Wang, confirmed his death in an Instagram post revealing Jimmy had been battling an undisclosed illness for the past six years.
“We also believe that his handsome and heroic image as the One-Armed Swordsman will forever live on [in] the history of films and the hearts of fans,” she wrote in the caption alongside a series of pictures of her late father.
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Jimmy was born in Shanghai, China in 1943. He later moved to Hong Kong and landed a successful career in acting after joining the Hong-Kong-based Shaw Brothers Studio in 1963.
He quickly rose to fame after starring in One-Armed Swordsman, where he was able to showcase his talents in martial arts. The film broke the local million-dollar box-office record in Hong Kong.
His role in the action film drew attention from the industry and subsequently opened doors for other martial artists to step foot into the entertainment business. Jimmy went on to star in over 40 movies, including The Man From Hong Kong (1975) and Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976).
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Jimmy also reprised his role in the One-Armed Swordsman sequels — Return Of The One-Armed Swordsman and The New One-Armed Swordsman — released in 1969 and 1971, respectively. He once earned the title of the highest-paid martial arts film actor before Bruce Lee came onto the scene.
Prior to becoming an actor, he also served in the National Revolutionary Army and was a swimming champion in Hong Kong.
His personal life was met with a few challenges after facing a murder charge in Taiwan in 1981. However, the charge was later dropped due to insufficient evidence. Jimmy later made headlines once again after getting involved in politics, where he claimed he was hired to assassinate a political rival though the incident never occurred. In 2011, he suffered from a stroke which led him to lose strength in the left side of his body.
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Jimmy was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan to recognize his contribution to the industry.
After learning about his death, fellow martial arts star Jackie Chan paid tribute to Jimmy via Facebook.
“The contributions you’ve made to kung fu movies, and the support and wisdom you’ve given to the younger generations will always be remembered in the industry,” he wrote. “And your movies will always remain in the hearts of your fans. We will miss you!”
