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Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Mortal Kombat’s Shang Tsung, Dies at 75

Family confirmation cited complications from a stroke.

Overview

  • The actor died Thursday in Santa Barbara at age 75 from stroke complications, with his children present, according to the family.
  • Deadline first reported the death, which was later confirmed by publicist Penny Vizcarra to Entertainment Weekly and echoed by major outlets.
  • Tagawa became synonymous with Shang Tsung, debuting in the 1995 film and reprising the role in a 1997 sequel, TV adaptations in 2013 and 2015, Mortal Kombat 11 in 2019, and the 2023 Onslaught game.
  • His career spanned more than 150 credits, including a breakthrough in The Last Emperor and notable work in The Man in the High Castle, Licence to Kill, Pearl Harbor, and Memoirs of a Geisha.
  • He is survived by his children Calen, Brynne and Cana, and his grandchildren River and Thea Clayton.