Mike Martello: RIP 5 October 1966 - 2 June 2009

[German Bai Lung]

It is with great pain and speechlessness that I have to tell all you people that Mike Martello Sifu passed away this morning.

A great teacher, martial artist and a close friend left to soon.
It just hurts ...

[sean_stonehart]

Wow... condolences to his family & friends as well as the Tang Lang family.

[Tainan Mantis]

I am deeply shocked and saddened to see my friend of years gone just like that.

Shock and disbelief and sad.


Kevin

[TaichiMantis]

I'm shocked! How? Why? Where? How old was he?

...a great loss to the mantis community.

[taichi4eva]

he was so young...what happened?

my condolences to his family and his students

[Artemisalive]

It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of a great teacher and an even better friend.

Around around 9:30 this morning Mike Martello, age 42, passed away in Antwerp, Belgium, due to a congenital heart condition (Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome).

Born 5 October 1966, Michael Anthony Martello, has played many roles and touched many lives. Overcoming many personal obstacles and helping many to find their own way, these last few years were among Mike’s happiest. Mike loved his family and his students.

Mike lived life fearlessly and without regret. Mike died loving life.

Mike we miss you. My door is always open.

Joshua


**Please note that though our seminar series with Mike Martello, scheduled for June 12-17, will no longer take place, we are considering a memorial in NYC on June 13 or 14. Details will be posted on my website as soon as Mike's personal arrangements have been made.


Joshua Craig
www.artemis-seminars.com

[Mas Judt]

****. I never met the guy, but his skill was apparent even youtube clips. This is a very real shame. He''l be in my families prayers.

[Michael Dasargo]

Our condolensces from the Traditional Kung Fu Academy San Diego. Please keep us posted with the details of the memorial.

Thank you,
M.Dasargo

[SPJ]

condolence to his family and friends.

He will be missed by many.

:(

[Olaf]

May he rest in peace.

Pak Mei Pai Amsterdam, The Netherlands

[lkfmdc]

This is the 2nd bad news of this sort I've had in a week

I am very sorry

RIP

condolances to family, friends, students and associates

[David Jamieson]

my condolences.

[GeneChing]

I'm sorry to say that I never met him in person.

[Three Harmonies]

Mike never posted here or anywhere (too much BS). Some of us posted comments via him.
I will be updating my blog as I get more info about memorials, memories, etc.
No one can grasp how much of a loss this is to CMA and the CMA community as a whole, let alone those of us training under him, and more importantly friends with Mike.

Peace
Jake

[ngokfei]

I'll miss you dude,

save me a good seat:D

[18elders]

From all of us in the Peng Lai family, our condolences to his family, friends and his students.
A great loss to the Praying Mantis Community

[mantis108]

I am in deepest shock!

It is unbelievable that such a vibrant and passionate practitioner who has deep knowledge and appreciation of Kung Fu just past away. Mike was a great friend and I was hoping to meet him in person one day. I regret of such a lost.

My sincere condolences to both his family and Kung Fu family.

May you rest in peace, Mike, my dear friend.

With thoughts and prayers,

Robert Hui

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

Three Harmony Taiji Association wishes to pay respect and offer condolences.. and, a humble thanks to Sifu Martello, CMA is better for his brief 'touch'.. <humble bows>

Be Well..

[Dale Dugas]

Martello shifu will be missed by many.

Joss has been lit and prayers scattered to the four directions for him, his family, his students and friends.

RIP

[Baqualin]

Our condolences to his family, students & friends...a big loss to the MA's community.
Rest in Peace,
BQ

[B.Tunks]

A bright star. May he Rest In Peace.

Brendan Tunks, on behalf of Tanglang Quan She (Australia)

[Laukarbo]

Thats real tragic news,even though I never met Martello Sifu he was not unknown to me and I heard and read nothing but good things about him,a big loss to the CMA community.

RIP

Our Condolences from the Lau Family !

[Oso]

wow...my deepest condolences to his family and friends.

[taai gihk yahn]

this is most distressing - never met the man, but have viewed him on YouTube, and clearly he was well-versed in his art, and communicated his embodiment of the principles thereof; it is sad not only for the loss of the martial artist he was, but what he was in the process of becoming: a young master ripening into sagehood - too few of these sort around - his passing will be felt deeply by his students, my condolences to them all; may his untimely departure serve to remind us all that we should live life as if our hair were on fire!

[Three Harmonies]

We added a short tribute to Mike on the blog (http://www.threeharmonies.blogspot.com)
For some reason when we search on Youtube it does not come up in the search, so I wanted to let people know where to find it. We plan on making bigger ones later, but wanted to get this out there and share some of the candid shots we have of Mike and people training with him over the last 4 years here in Seattle, and in New Mexico.

Peace,
Jake

[Paul T England]

I am shocked and sadened.

I attended two seminars with Sifu Mike on the Miao Dao and thought he was top quality both as a teacher and person.

Paul

[Three Harmonies]

For our friends in China where Youtube is banned:rolleyes::

http://www.vimeo.com/4992619 (http://www.vimeo.com/4992619)

[Oso]

nice tribute, jake.

[mickey]

My condolences to his friends and family.


mickey

[Tensei85]

Condolences to the friends, family and the extended Mantis family of Martello Sifu.

[Three Harmonies]

There is a new site that has launched in conjunction with the Three Harmonies blog, "The Ground Never Misses" (http://www.threeharmonies.blogspot.com)... www.mikemartello.com (http://www.mikemartello.com) is up and running.

JAB

[German Bai Lung]

Good work Jake.

I also uploaded some new footage of Mike: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXv4Oa8CyXY
First out of 5.

[notanexit]

I'm glad that I had the oppurtunity to train with him.He changed my views on kung fu and martial arts.What I'll remember most is his humbleness.He had the skill level of a true master or sifu,he never wanted to be called that.Im grateful that he came down to Texas to train.R.I.P

[SPJ]

Good work Jake.

I also uploaded some new footage of Mike: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXv4Oa8CyXY
First out of 5.

cool. thanks for uploading.

[Three Harmonies]

Check out Mike Martello Dot Com (http://www.mikemartello.com) or The Ground Never Misses (http://www.treeharmonies.blogspot.com) for updated information on the New York City memorial.

Sincerely,
Jake B.

[Keith]

The Mike Martello Tribute site is up at http://MikeMartello.com .

Please feel free to leave comments, submit stories, send pictures, tell us about videos.

For those of you who want to write articles, you can register for an account.

Thanks to everyone who has already shared with the many who's lives have been touched by our friend, brother and teacher.

[Three Harmonies]

Updated info on both www.mikemartello.com and www.threeharmonies.blogspot.com regarding Mikes memorial service in Belgium.

Jake

[Three Harmonies]

More of Mikes interview has been put up on my blog www.threeharmonies.blogspot.com for those interested.
Cheers
Jake

[lievenv]

Hi all,

My name is Vincent and I am a student of Mike's in Belgium.
I have read several things about Mike's death which are incorrect and I would like to hereby set the record straight!

1. Mike did not die of a heartattack. He died of a cardiac arrest as a consequence of his Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome. Heartattack and cardiac arrest are two different things entirely.

2. More importantly, Mike DID NOT die while teaching a class. His heart stopped beating shortly after he woke up in the morning, again as a consequence of his congenital heart condition and not because he was in bad health, weak or because his kungfu was bad or whatever other reason.

I would also like to thank Jake for the article in kungfu magazine, but again, some facts weren't 100% accurate.

Best,
Vincent

[lkfmdc]

1. Mike did not die of a heartattack. He died of a cardiac arrest as a consequence of his Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome. Heartattack and cardiac arrest are two different things entirely.



speak English much?

[Ben Gash]

:confused: Apart from the missing spaces in heart attack there's nothing wrong with those sentences :confused:

[TenTigers]

deepest condolences.



btw-I had heard he actually suffered an acute myocardial infarction, as opposed to the other two....


p.s. no disrespect towards M.M. intended.
Just having fun with lievenv

[lkfmdc]

:confused: Apart from the missing spaces in heart attack there's nothing wrong with those sentences :confused:

you think the common usage "heart attack" is DIFFERENT than MCI/CI/ACI ???

[Ben Gash]

AMI's pretty unlikely in a hugely active 43 year old.

[Ben Gash]

you think the common usage "heart attack" is DIFFERENT than MCI/CI/ACI ???

Heart Attack means Myocardial Infarction, an ischaemic injury to the heart muscle. Cardiac Arrest means your heart ceasing to circulate blood, due to any number of causes. A heart attack may cause a cardiac arrest (and indeed does in 30-50% of cases), but the two are not synonymous. It is a common confusion, but those are the the meanings, both in lay terms and clinical.

[lkfmdc]

YOu are sort of missing the point

To say he had a "heart attack" wasn't wrong, nor was it intended to insult him

IN fact, over like 6 different boards, I've seen nothing but sympathy and coldolances for him

SO why this post today???

[Ben Gash]

But it is incorrect to say he had a heart attack.
I agree though, I thought it was a little unnecessary to post at this point.

[lievenv]

To lkfmdc:

1. So sorry for me not speakee the English very well, it's not my native tongue since I'm from Belgium.

2. Why this post today? Because of the obituary in kung fu magazine. Again Jake, thanks for doing it! It is much appreciated by all !!

Saying that Mike died of a heart attack while teaching class is not what happened though. As we all know there are certain people out there who have been badmouthing Mike since he broke with one of his teachers and saying the above plays into their cards perfectly: "See that what he was doing was wrong! It killed him!" or something of the sorts.

Anyway, I'm not gonna waste any more time on this. Those of you who knew him well enough, know why I wrote this.

peace,
V

[lkfmdc]

there are certain people out there who have been badmouthing Mike since he broke with one of his teachers and saying the above plays into their cards perfectly: "See that what he was doing was wrong! It killed him!" or something of the sorts.



Except for the little fact not a single person here said anything at all bad about him, quite the OPPOSITE, the entire thread was condolances and sympathy.. so why rant and rave here? And why make a mountain out of a mole hill when in English the term is broadly used? :rolleyes:

[Ben Gash]

I think maybe because heart attack in it's correct usage :p has certain negative connotations due to the large number of lifestyle related risk factors with it (although if your genes are against you, doesn't matter how fit you are, you're screwed :( ) ?