Kyodo News announces the death at age 71 of Ryuichi Sakamoto, a pioneer in Japanese piano, composition, and electronic music production. Sakamoto initially disclosed having throat cancer in 2014, but after receiving therapy, the disease went into remission. He revealed he had rectal cancer in 2021; by 2022, it had progressed to stage 4.
Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto was born on January 17, 1952. His pioneering use of synthesizers—particularly the Roland MC-8 Microcomposer and TR-808 drum machine—laid the groundwork for today’s electronic music scene.
Ryuichi Sakamoto was a forerunner in both as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra, the electropop trio created with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi the development of synth-pop and other forms of electronic music. The band’s self-titled debut album came out in 1978, a few months after Sakamoto’s breakthrough solo album, Thousand Knives.
When YMO broke up in 1984, Sakamoto won an Oscar, a Grammy, and a Golden Globe for his score to the 1987 Bernardo Bertolucci film The Last Emperor. The Sheltering Sky (1990), Tiny Buddha (1993), and The Revenant (2015) are among the films he composed the music for. In 1983’s Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence, co-starred with David Bowie.
Ryuichi Sakamoto Died at 71
Ryuichi Sakamoto is known for his contributions to the soundtracks of such films as “The Last Emperor,” “The Sheltering Sky,” and “The Revenant.” Still, he also co-founded the groundbreaking techno-pop band Yellow Magic Orchestra. On Tuesday, he left this world. He was 71.
On Instagram, his death was confirmed, but no other details were given. The news that Mr Sakamoto had been diagnosed with rectal cancer and was undergoing treatment came out in January 2021. Mr Sakamoto composed music that was catchy, expressive, and highly sensitive to the noises around him, whether it was future techno, symphonic compositions, video game themes, or private piano solos. He has won an Academy Award, a British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award, a Grammy, and two Golden Globes for his work with diverse musicians.
Source: The Independent
His Yellow Magic Orchestra dominated the charts in the late 1970s and early 1980s with synthesizer and sequencer singles, including “Computer Game,” which satirized Western conceptions of Japanese music.
Ryuichi Sakamoto Cause of death
He passed away on March 28, three years after his cancer diagnosis. Sakamoto “continued to produce works in his home studio whenever his health would allow,” according to a statement released by his management company, Commmons. Sakamoto was diagnosed with cancer in June 2020. Even in his latter days, he was surrounded by music. We are eternally grateful to all of his supporters, both past and present, and to the doctors and nurses in Japan and the United States who tried all in their ability to save his life.
Sakamoto’s Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO), which he co-founded in 1978 with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, is widely regarded as a seminal group in the history of electronic music (who died in January).
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