Ninja, godfather of voguing who inspired Madonna, dies at 45

Willi Ninja the American who helped move the dance form of voguing into the mainstream,starred in thedocumentary Paris is Burning and inspired a popular Madonna music video has died at 45.

Ninja was considered the godfather of voguing, the gender-bending form thatconsists of a combination of model-like poses and creative arm, leg and body movements.

Hedied Saturday of AIDS-related illnesses at New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens, his friends said on Tuesday.

He first gained fame as one of the stars ofthe 1990 documentary Paris is Burning, which introduced the world to Ninja and voguing. Thecritically acclaimeddocumentary, directed byJennie Livingston, chronicled the elaborate ball competitions of New York's drag club scene in the 1980s, as well asvoguing's origins in Harlem's ballrooms duringthe first half of the 20th century.

Ninja'scelebrity peaked after he inspired Madonna to make her hitmusic video andsong Vogue.

Speaking through a spokeswoman on Tuesday, Madonna said she was sorry to hear of Ninja's death.

"He was a great cultural influence to me and hundreds of thousands of other people," she said.

Ninja was a self-taught performer who worked with dance companies and choreographers.

He also instructed models and socialites including Paris Hilton how to walk and strike a pose for the paparazzi.

After hearing of Ninja's death, Livingston called him a "supremely gifted dancer" and "one of the main reasons" she made the film.

"Whenever you talk about vogue or voguing Willi's name is there," Livingston said in an interview on Tuesday. "Willi refined voguing. He really brought it to an amazing level."