Royce Gracie provided an open letter to Tatame regarding the recent passing of his father Helio. I’m going to forego our normal rules and post the entire letter here:
Today my father, Helio, at the age of 95 passed on. I am honored to be the son of such a great man! He was an inspiration to me throughout my life. As a Grandmaster of Jiu-Jitsu and the father of “Vale Tudo” he brought Gracie Jiu-Jitsu to the forefront of martial arts. He was a man of small stature but his heart was that of a giant. He proved with Gracie Jiu-Jitsu that even a small man could overcome a bigger stronger opponent by using leverage and technique. He was truly an innovator. Just look around and you can see how his success gave birth to the sport of mixed martial arts that we all enjoy today.
Many of you may think that the greatest thing my father ever gave me was Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. But I want all of you to know that I will remember him most for what he taught me off the matt. He taught me how to be a man, a husband and a father. He showed me how to be honorable, respectful and diligent. He taught me how to be a whole person.
I ask that together we celebrate the remarkable life of my father, Helio Gracie. The greatest tribute you can to pay to my father is to continue to train and share Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, remembering to never lose sight of the fact that what you do off the matt counts more than what you do on the matt. Face life’s challenges with confidence, dare to pursue your dreams and live to the fullest just as my father did.
God bless us all!
Royce
It is always nice to see the more human side of fighters, and while most of us weren’t given the gift of jiu-jitsu by our fathers I think there is a large segment of us that can related to the idea of a father teaching you how to be a real man. I hate to sound overly sappy but reading this letter did motivate me to call my dad just to see how he was doing.
I must say it one more time…R.I.P. Helio
— more photos at Sherdog.com