Actor Pat Morita dead at the age of 73

[FVZA_Colonel]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051125/ap_on_en_mo/obit_morita

Oscar-Nominated Actor Pat Morita Dies
By TIM MOLLOY, Associated Press Writer
Fri Nov 25, 5:41 PM ET

LOS ANGELES - Actor Pat Morita, best known for helping teach a boy martial-arts mastery through household chores as the wise Mr. Miyagi in "The Karate Kid," has died. He was 73.

There were conflicting reports about the cause of death. His daughter Aly Morita said he died Thursday of heart failure at a Las Vegas hospital; longtime manager Arnold Soloway said the actor died of kidney failure at a hospital while awaiting a transplant.

His wife of 12 years, Evelyn, said in a statement that her husband, who first rose to fame with a role on "Happy Days," had "dedicated his entire life to acting and comedy."

His role in the 1984 film defined his career. As Kesuke Miyagi, the mentor to Ralph Macchio's "Daniel-san," he taught karate while trying to catch flies with chopsticks and offering such advice as "wax on, wax off" to help Daniel improve his karate hand movements while doing his chores.

[Neil Lisst]

1. wax on, wax off

rip