Mario Segale, the alleged inspiration for the incredibly popular Nintendo character Super Mario, has passed away at the age of 84.
The legend goes that in 1981 Nintendo of America was renting a warehouse in Tukwila, Washington, the landlord of which was named Mario Segale. At the time, Donkey Kong was just about to be released and the video game character Mario was still known as Jumpman.
Nintendo wanted real names for the characters that were more marketable and drew inspiration from real life people.
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Segale reportedly passed away at his home in Tukwila, Washington surrounded by his friends and family on October 27. Though he was named as the inspiration for the wildly popular character, Super Mario, he himself preferred a simple life of “hunting, fishing, his airplane, and his view of the Puget Sound.”
“While he was the inspiration for the name of Nintendo’s ‘Super Mario’ from when they were tenants in his business park in the 1970’s, he always ducked the notoriety and wanted to be known instead for what he accomplished in his life,” Segale’s obituary reads.
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