Japanese composer and pop star Ryuichi Sakamoto has died at the age of 71

Famous Japanese musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto has passed away at the age of 71.

He has been battling his declining health for several years, having been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, and then bowel cancer in 2021. However, through all of his treatments and surgeries, he has continued to write music and perform, even performing online recently. December 2022.

Sakamoto is perhaps best known for his work composing the musical score for several films, in particular The last emperor (for which he won an Academy Award), The last BuddhaAnd yield (which saw him nominated for a Golden Globe) and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrencein which he also appeared on screen alongside David Bowie.

However, he is also known for his earlier career in pop music, both as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra, an electronic group that was huge In Japan in the early 1980s. YMO has had an impact on Western musicians and markets as well; their song”computer gamewhich charted in the UK, and They appeared live on Soul Train in 1980.

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Over the decades of his music writing career, Sakamoto has worked on a handful of video games, starting with 1989’s RPG Tengai Makio: Ziriyathe first game in the long run Far east of Aden Series, up to 2006 Dawn of manafor which he wrote the opening theme (for more on this surprisingly excellent but also confusing credit, look here)

His latest contribution to a smash video game was in 2014 hohocumin which (Among the other excellent choices) track Discreet memoriesfeatures a collaboration between Sakamoto and electronic musician Christopher Willits.

Sakamoto died on March 28, with his death announced after his funeral on April 2. He is survived by his four children, one of whom is Japanese pop star Mio Sakamoto.