For fans of 70s and 80s martial arts flicks, the death of Jim Kelly is extremely sad. Many of the martial artist’s fans have responded to the news of his passing on Twitter.
Marilyn Dishman, the actor’s wife, said he passed away at his home in San Diego on Saturday after a battle with cancer. He was 67 years old.
Jim Kelly was born in Paris, Kentucky on May 5, 1946. After studying martial arts in his home state, he eventually made the move to California where he earned his black belt in karate. According to The Associated Press , Kelly dreamed of being a tournament champion as well as an actor.
The Kentucky native made his big-screen debut in the acclaimed 1972 blaxploitation flick Melinda . However, it was his turn in the Bruce Lee classic Enter the Dragon that would effectively put the charismatic martial artist on the map.
“Bruce was just incredible, absolutely fantastic. I learned so much from working with him. I probably enjoyed working with Bruce more than anyone else I’d ever worked with in movies because we were both martial artists. And he was a great, great martial artist. It was very good,” Kelly told the folks at Salon during an interview in 2010.
Jim Kelly would go on to star in a number of kung fu movies during 70s and 80s, many of which have become cult favorites over the years. His big screen credits include Black Belt Jones , Hot Potato , The Golden Needles , and The Tattoo Connection . While these films weren’t as popular as Enter the Dragon , they were still incredibly enjoyable efforts from a guy who clearly loved martial arts.
The passing of Jim Kelly prompted a great number of fans to celebrate the actor’s life on Twitter. Below you can find a handful of reactions to his death.
I saw Jim kelly at the Novi Comic con I kept missing him. however he looked up as I passed, saw my costume, smiled and gave a thumbs up.
— Moose Matson (@moosematson) July 1, 2013
Rough kickin’ rhymes like Jim Kelly. RIP Black Belt Jones.
— Robert Browney Jr. (@Sandippa) July 1, 2013
Jim Kelly was one of my heroes who don’t appear on no stamp. #RIPDragon
— Big Bob (@BSil1) July 1, 2013
RIP Jim Kelly! The best afro in a kung fu movie #enterthedragon
— Philip todd (@Twobobtodd) July 1, 2013
everybody said Kung-Fu and fros wouldn’t mix, but Jim Kelly proved them wrong. rest in peace my friend pic.twitter.com/aI3Wt59uAV
— Colm McGlinchey (@ColmMcGlinchey) July 1, 2013
Are you a fan of Jim Kelly? What’s your favorite movie?
