Taky Kimura, one of Bruce Lee's earliest martial arts students, passed away Thursday at the age of 96. Kimura first met the future martial arts star in Seattle in 1959 when he joined a small group of students training with Lee in what was then called "Jun Fan Gung Fu."

Kimura turned into Lee's closest student and confidant in Seattle serving as best man at Lee's wedding. When Lee chose to move to Oakland he left his school in the care of Kimura who would become one of only three people, along with Dan Inosanto and the late James Yimm Lee, certified to teach his martial arts style. In recent years, along with his son, Andy, Kimura continued to teach martial arts at the Seattle Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute.