BJJ Comic “Immortal Choke” Raises Over $8,000 For Mental Health Research In Memory Of Anthony Bourdain

Just a few weeks ago, the jiu-jitsu world (and the rest of the world, for that matter) was devastated to learn that television host, celebrity chef, and BJJ blue belt Anthony Bourdain had taken his own life. The creator of the popular BJJ comic Immortal Choke decided to do something good for the world in light of the terrible news, creating t-shirts, prints, and posters featuring his rendition of Bourdain along with one of his quotes about jiu-jitsu. All profits from the sales would go to to the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, which seeks to develop ways to alleviate symptoms of mental illness.

Today, the artist, Billy Hong, revealed on social media that the sales had yielded a whopping $8,094.45 in donations for the organization.

Hong expressed his gratitude and amazement on Immortal Choke’s Instagram:

No words, y’all. I would’ve been stoked to raise 1/10th this much for @bbrfoundation , but this…I’m floored. Thank you all so much for supporting this – it just proves what an incredible community BJJ is, and I sincerely hope this moves the needle forward on mental health. Anthony Bourdain was no doubt a reminder of all the good there is in living life, yet even behind a seemingly perfect life can be a lot of darkness. If you missed out or would like to continue support for mental health research, I urge you all to go to https://www.bbrfoundation.org/ (The Brain and Behavior Research Foundation) and donate. Thank you @bbrfoundation for what you do, @ksprzk for coming up with this idea, and special thanks to my homies @bjjaveri , @because_jitsu , and @dankjiujitsu for always supporting me and spreading the word. . . . . . . #BJJ #jiujitsu #immortalchoke #trianglechoke #armbar #comics #submission #brazilianjiujitsu #training #grappling #blackbelt #kimura #technique #mentalillness #donation #bourdain #trainforbourdain #anthonybourdain #prints #posters #tshirt

A post shared by Billy Hong (@immortalchoke) on Jun 25, 2018 at 9:10am PDT

If you would like to contribute to the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation and learn more about their work, visit their website.

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