Hana Kimura’s death has caused a wave of mourning online, and Simone Johnson is one of those speaking out. Kimura, a Japanese wrestler and cast member of Terrace House: Tokyo 2019–2020, died on Friday after posting a series of troubling tweets that referenced bullying. She also posted graphic images showing self-harm. (As a result, Kimura’s death presumes to be a suicide, though officials have not yet confirmed.) In reaction to the news of Kimura’s death, Johnson lashed out at the unnamed parties who bullied the young Stardom wrestler before her passing.
Johnson, who is the daughter of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, attributed Kimura’s death to this bullying. She called out members of the worldwide wrestling fandom, saying they should never consider themselves wrestling fans if they partook in this. She also added a simple “rest in peace” with a heart emoji to end her message.
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she was bullied to death.
if you partook in any of this, don’t you EVER call yourself a wrestling fan.
rest in peace. ❤️ https://t.co/sLcBdMk1OG
— 𝖘𝖎𝖒𝖔𝖓𝖊 (@SimoneGJohnson) May 23, 2020
It’s unclear whether the backlash that took a toll on Kimura was from wrestling fans, Terrace House fans, or both. Regardless, many in the wrestling community seconded Johnson’s tweet, including fellow WWE Superstar Paige. Quoting Johnson’s message, Paige added that Kimura’s death was heartbreaking. She also lamented that “the Internet can be a cruel, disgusting place” and described the late 22-year-old as a “beautiful young woman.”
The bullying conversation about Kimura’s death stems from her final tweets. The two-time Artist of Stardom Champion’s graphic and troubling messages referenced “frank opinions” she had received and the fact that she “wanted to be loved.”
“Nearly 100 frank opinions every day. I couldn’t deny that I was hurt. I’m dead,” she wrote, per Reddit user dnytle. “Thank you for giving me a mother. It was a life I wanted to be loved. Thank you to everyone who supported me. I love it. I’m weak. I’m sorry.” Additionally, she wrote a number of cryptic messages: “I don’t want to be a human anymore,” “It was a life I wanted to be loved,” “Thank you everyone, I love you,” and “Bye.” No other details of Kimura’s death have been made public as of press time.
