Jhoon Goo Rhee has passed away. The martial arts master widely renowned as the ‘father of American taekwondo’ died April 30th at the age of 86.
Rhee befriended fellow legend Bruce Lee who traded techniques with him to which they both claimed they benefited from. He later opened his first American studio in 1962 in Washington, DC. He would eventually open 11 successful studios in the DC area alone.
In 1973 he starred in a film called When Taekwondo Strikes that became a staple of cinema loving taekwondo practitioners everywhere. In 2000 he became the only Korean-American on a list of 203 most recognized immigrants per the Immigrant Forum and INS. He was a no-brainer for the Taekwondo Hall of Fame and was inducted in 2007, listed as a pioneer of taekwondo in Russia and in America.
Again, Jhoon Rhee has passed away on April 30, 2018 in Arlington, Virginia at the age of 86 and the martial arts world will never be able to replace him. We at PMN would like to offer our condolences to his family and friends. He will be missed.