Renowned American dancer, Willi Ninja shook the world when he passed away unexpectedly. He gained his fame from ‘Paris is Burning’. From here onwards he had a stable fanbase. Ninja has a lot of achievements under his belt! He was truly a star and even though he is not among us his legacy will forever live on. To know more about him continue reading the article!
Recently, Google celebrated the legacy of Willi Ninja! Hence, more people are finding out about him and are also curious about his cause of death along with knowing about his rich career. To put it briefly, Willi Ninja was quite ahead of his time. From the start of his career, he did not hide his identity. He was a staunch supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. Belonging to the black community he had to overcome a lot of hurdles. But he still shined through all these challenges.
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Willi Ninja Cause of Death: Complete Story
Willi Ninja’s cause of death was AIDS. He passed away on 2nd September 2006 after fighting a strong battle against the disease. The heart failure because of AIDS resulted in his death.
During that time, talking about AIDS was considered taboo. But Willi Ninja did not shy away from speaking up about the matter. In fact, he was one of the strong people back then who spoke up for the cause. His efforts highlighted the seriousness of the matter.
The whole industry was in denial when he passed away. Madonna released a statement regarding his death and how sad she was. She also appreciated Ninja for all his efforts in the industry.
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Tribute to Willi Ninja: Who was he?
Willi Ninja requires no introduction. He is already well-known and respected by people who understand the dancing culture. Back in the day, he was not just a dancer. He was behind a lot of great revolutionary ideas.
Willi Ninja’s actual name was William R. Leake was born in Queens on 12th April 1961. There is a unique story behind his name! Willi was greatly influenced by the culture of Martial arts. It is the main reason why Willi chose the name ‘Ninja’ as his official name. From a young age, Willi Ninja had a strong passion for the art of dancing. And it is safe to say that he was a prodigy from the very beginning.
Throughout his career, he maintained a unique style. Wherever he went he made sure to create an aura that made other people fall in love with him. Ninja was a regular visitor of drag balls in Harlem! He started voguing in the 1980s and also started teaching in Europe and as far as Japan. His influence was clearly reaching people of all categories.
Due to his unmatchable physique, Ninja also modelled on runways. He even appeared in music videos flaunting his spectacular dancing style. No one could compete with him when he danced. Those sharp shoulders and rhythmic body movements had no competition. Ninja was a class of its own!
He was a mentor for many people in the industry. It is a known fact that Willi Ninja gave tips to Namoi Campbell early in her career. He even trained aspiring dancers in his agency. Willi started this agency in 2004!
So, that was everything that you needed to know about Willi Ninja’s cause of death. For more such information don’t forget to bookmark this page!