He better known by his ring name Rocky Aoki was a Japanese-American amateur wrestler and restaurateur who also launched Genesis magazine and the Japanese restaurant chain Benihana. Aoki gained notoriety in 1998 after being accused of insider trading in connection with Spectrum Information Technologies, Inc.
Rocky Aoki Biography And Net Worth
| Net Worth $40 million |
| Full Name Hiroaki Aoki |
| Birth Date October 9, 1938 |
| Died July 10, 2008 (aged 69) |
| Birthplace Tokyo, Empire of Japan |
| Profession Businessperson, Restaurateur, Amateur Boxer |
| Spouses Chizuru Kobayashi Aoki, Pamela Hilburger Aoki, Keiko Ono Aoki |
Early Life
Aoki was born on October 9, 1938, in Tokyo, Japan, to Yunosuke and Katsu, his real name was Hiroaki Aoki. Aoki continued his athletic career at Keio University, where he participated in track and field, wrestling, and karate. He was ultimately ejected, nevertheless, for engaging in combat. Aoki was a qualified wrestler at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome but opted not to participate. Several American institutions then offered him wrestling scholarships, and he enrolled at Springfield College in Massachusetts as a result. Later, Aoki changed schools and enrolled at CW Post College in Long Island, New York. He won the flyweight title three years in a row (1962, 1963, and 1964), turning into a small wrestling star in the United States.
Rocky,s Restaurant
Aoki shifted his attention to managing restaurants and enrolled at New York City Community College for an associate degree in management. He rented an ice cream truck in Harlem and worked in it while he was there. Aoki utilized the $10,000 he had earned from his ice cream business, after graduation in 1963, to convince his father to help him invest in the first Benihana restaurant on West 56th Street. The first Benihana restaurant outside of New York City debuted in Chicago in 1968. Benihana continued to grow significantly, acquiring the Haru and RA Sushi eateries and setting up franchisees all over the world.
Other Business Ventures
Aoki started the softcore porn magazine Genesis in 1973, among other things. Later, in the early 1980s, he helped fund and crew the Double Eagle V, the first balloon to successfully cross the Pacific Ocean from Nagashima, Japan to Mendocino National Forest in California. Aoki once competed in offshore powerboat races.
Rocky Controversy
Aoki was accused of insider trading in June 1998, which led to a profit of more than $590,000 for him. He was accused of breaking the law by selling insider information about Spectrum Information Technologies, Inc. Aoki entered a guilty plea to the case in 1999, and as punishment, he received a $500,000 fine and three years of probation.
Aoki,s Wife
In his lifetime, Aoki has been married three times in total. Businesswoman Keiko Ono Aoki was his last spouse; they were together from 2002 till his death in 2008. Between his two marriages, Aoki had seven kids, including Grace, Kyle, Kevin, and Echo.
Net Worth
Rocky had an estimated net worth of $40 million at the time of his demise in 2008.
Rocky,s Death
Aoki died of pneumonia in New York City in July of 2008, at the time of his death, he was dealing with a multitude of illnesses, including diabetes and liver cirrhosis.
