Legendary Japanese musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto dies at 71

Renowned Japanese musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto died on March 28 at the age of 71 as a result of colorectal cancer he had been suffering from since 2020, his agency confirmed Sunday.

“While undergoing treatment for cancer discovered in June 2020, Sakamoto continued to create works in his home studio whenever his health would allow. He lived with music until the end,” his agency, Commmons, said in a statement.

Ryuichi Sakamoto performs possibly ‘his last concert’ amid cancer battle

According to the agency and in accordance with the artist’s wishes, the funeral service would have been held with his close relatives, although they have not provided further details and have asked that the family’s privacy be respected. “Ars longa, vita brevis. Art is long, life is short,” Commmons’ text highlights as one of the composer’s favorite phrases.

The pianist, who suffered from throat cancer in 2014 from which he managed to recover, confirmed in early 2021 that he had another cancer, which spread to other organs in the form of metastases.

rest in peace Ryuichi Sakamoto. pic.twitter.com/6xdZwm76Gn

— Doug Emerald Farsyde (@iamnotdippa) April 2, 2023

Awarded an Oscar for Best Original Score for the film The Last Emperor, Sakamoto underwent six surgeries last year, including a 20-hour surgery to try to remove a primary tumor and others that metastasized.

Sakamoto was one of the most international Japanese creators of his time, with a complex work that has been formed by several stages, from his first successful group, the experimental Yellow Magic Orchestra, to the creation of soundtracks.

In this section he received numerous awards and wrote the music for remembered titles such as Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983), in which he also performed giving life to the commander of a Japanese prison camp during the Pacific War, The Last Emperor (1987) or The Revenant (2015).

His last concert was last December 11, in online format so that his fans from different time zones could listen to him, and when his cancer was already in stage IV, so many of his followers thought it could be his last.

-Thailand News (TN)