A Japanese star chef died of his injuries Monday after a supposed altercation between him and two angry customers who claimed he did not prepare their food well.
Miki Nozawa, 57, worked on the German island of Sylt when two men claimed they "didn't like" the meal of fried noodles with vegetables and beef he served them Sunday. The two allegedly complained that they wanted their 10 euros back for the meal, and two guests were seen later leaving the restaurant without paying and also without incident.
A fight escalated at around 2 a.m. when Nozawa ran into the patrons at a dance club named Z1. The suspects were reported to be intoxicated at the time, the Huffington Post reported.
The suspects, 50 and 36, were held for suspicion of causing bodily injury resulting in death, but were later released due to lack of evidence. They are currently undergoing voluntary questioning by police, Australia's Herald Sun reports.
Nozawa's unnamed ex-wife said she believes his death was entirely the fault of his aggressors as she described her former husband as nonviolent.
"My ex-husband was not aggressive, absolutely good-natured man," she said, according to a translated report. "He never would have started a fight."
She said her ex died of internal bleeding and brain injuries, but some later reports indicated that he may have died as a result of a brain hemorrhage.
Nozawa allegedly experienced racism while working on the island, being called slurs such as a "chick" and a "gook" by residents, UPI reported.
"We see this as a racist act," his ex-wife said of the attack.
Nozawa was widely known for his Italian-Japanese fusion dishes. He has served countless established patrons, including Mikhail Gorbachev, Denzel Washington and Phil Collins.
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