Jim Kelly, a martial arts master who starred alongside Bruce Lee in Enter The Dragon, has died at age 67.
According to CBS News, his death was confirmed with a statement on Facebook.
“It is with sadness and regret that we must announce the passing of a great man and legend Jim Kelly,” the statement reads. “He will be deeply missed by all. Jim had great love for his family, friends, tennis and martial arts. We are devastated by Jim’s passing but through faith and support from family, friends and fans-we are comforted, blessed and will remain strong.
“He was survived by his lifetime partner of 33 years and wife,” the post concludes.
While the statement didn’t reveal his cause of death, his ex-wife Marilyn Dishman told CNN that he died of cancer.
Kelly had been a martial arts teacher when the movies came calling in the early 1970s. He first appeared in Melinda, but then scored his most famous role in 1973’s Enter The Dragon. He sported an afro and sideburns and made further appearances in Black Samurai, Three The Hard Way and Black Belt Jones. In total, he made nearly a dozen appearances in films, but by the late 1970s, his acting career began to wane.
In a 2010 interview with The Los Angeles Times, Kelly said that “I never left the movie business. It's just that after a certain point, I didn't get the type of projects that I wanted to do.”
Kelly may have stopped appearing in films, but his impact on pop culture never went away. He even appeared in a Nike commerical with LeBron James.