Former IWGP World Champion Tadao Yasuda has passed away at the age of 62.

According to reports from Tokyo Sports, Yasuda was found dead at his home in Tokyo on Tuesday. Prior to his passing, he had reportedly been working for a security company following his retirement from the ring.

Yasuda began his athletic career in sumo before transitioning to professional wrestling. He joined New Japan Pro Wrestling in 1993 and made his in ring debut the following year. Throughout much of the 1990s, he was positioned as an undercard performer, frequently appearing in opening matches on NJPW cards.

His career took a dramatic turn in 2000 when Antonio Inoki sent Yasuda and Kazuyuki Fujita to the United States to train in mixed martial arts. Yasuda won his debut bout in PRIDE Fighting Championships, which sparked a renewed push upon his return to NJPW. That momentum carried him to the semifinals of the G1 Climax in 2001.

Later that year, Yasuda scored the most notable win of his MMA career by defeating Jerome Le Banner in December. Shortly after, he captured the vacant IWGP World Championship by defeating Yuji Nagata in tournament finals. Yasuda’s reign lasted 48 days.

Yasuda competed in his final MMA bout in 2003, finishing with a 2 and 4 professional record. He continued wrestling on a limited basis before officially retiring from professional wrestling in 2011.

In 2007, Yasuda was involved in an incident that was widely reported as a suicide attempt involving carbon monoxide poisoning. Yasuda later denied those reports, stating the incident was an accident.