Rest in Peace: Helio Gracie (1913-2009)
Filed Under (MMA) by admin on 30-01-2009
Tagged Under : Helio Gracie, MMA
In many ways, he was the closest thing the modern world has seen to Master Splinter or Master Yoda, the fictional and ageless conduits of martial arts wisdom. Helio Gracie, the godfather of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and patriarch of the legendary Gracie family, has passed away at the age of 95. He died of natural causes on Jan. 29, 2009.
According to the family, he left this world with a sense of accomplishment and completion of his life’s goals. Indeed, he did not pass away without seeing his son Royce become the first-ever UFC champion and a member of the UFC hall of fame. Likewise, many of his progeny have gone on to great mixed martial arts and jiu jitsu success, with son Rickson also attaining legendary status in martial arts circles.
The Grand Master was instrumental in the development and proliferation of jiu jitsu, so much so that the terms Gracie Jiu Jitsu and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu have become interchangeable.
He was a legend that spawned a generation of legends, and ultimately changed the way that people fight, compete, and defend themselves. His teachings made evident to the western world the longstanding but often mythical axiom that training and technique could overcome virtually any size or strength disadvantage.
With Gracie jiu jitsu, his students and family blazed a trail through the martial arts world at the expense of larger men, in the process contributing immensely to the development of mixed martial arts as it currently exists and inspiring legions to pursue the character-building experience that comes with an immersion into the martial arts.
A legend has fallen but will never be forgotten.