Helio Gracie (October 1, 1913 – January 29, 2009) was a Brazilian martial artist who, together with his brothers George & Carlos Gracie, founded the self-defense martial art system of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, also known as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Considered as the godfather of BJJ, according to Rorion Gracie, his father Hélio is one of the first sports heroes in Brazilian history; he was named Man of the Year in 1997 by the American martial arts publication Black Belt magazine. A patriarch of the Gracie family, multiple members of his family have gone on to have successful careers in combat sports competition including mixed martial arts (MMA).

Helio Gracie was a somewhat sickly youth, less powerful and athletic than his brothers, who were taught Kodokan Judo by Mitsuyo Maeda. Because of his less than stellar athleticism, Gracie began to modify the art so that the moves were less strength-based. The result was the Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Matches:

Gracie won many no-rules and few-rule matches during his lifetime, but when he pressed judo expert Masahiko Kimura in a fight, he became truly influential. Later, his style allowed his son, Royce Gracie, to win three of the first four Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments, proving the style’s worth.

Style and rank:

His style included Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Catch wrestling. Gracie achieved a 10th-degree red belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the highest belt anyone has received in the art.

Death:

Hélio died on the morning of January 29, 2009, in his sleep in Itaipava, in the city of Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro. The cause of death, reported by the family, was natural causes. His last words were: “I created a flag from the sport’s dignity. I oversee the name of my family with affection, steady nerves, and blood.” Hélio was able to utilize the same Jiu-Jitsu techniques which he helped to develop until his death. He was 95 years old and was allegedly teaching/ training on the mat until 10 days before his death when he became ill.