Willi Ninja obituary

Late HIV/AIDS awareness advocate Willi Ninja died on September 2, 2006, in New York, at the age of 45.

Ninja had battled an AIDS-related heart failure. He is survived by family and friends. His body was cremated rather than buried, and the ashes given to the family.

Who Was Willi Ninja?

Willi Ninja was an American vogue dancer and choreographer who earned the title “godfather of voguing”, due to his unique dancing style and body movements.

Born on April 12, 1961, Ninja caught the eyes of the world after he appeared in Jennie Livingston’s documentary film Paris Is Burning and the 2006 documentary How Do I Look.

The films had opened many doors for Ninja, who went on to appear in dance performances with a number of troupes.

Ninja was also featured as a dancer in music videos for several iconic artistes like Janet Jackson, Malcolm McLaren, and Madonna, whose song “Vogue” was inspired by Ninja’s dancing style.

Aside from dancing, Ninja landed a number of modelling jobs and performed with dance companies under Karole Armitage. He also served as a choreography instructor to Paris Hilton at the time.

Following these, Ninja later went on to open his modeling agency, Elements of Ninja, in 2004.

Outside of entertainment, Ninja was a key figure in LGBTQ community, and his memory is celebrated in the book “Black Sexualities”, written by Juan Battle and Sandra L. Barnes.