Who Was Ryuichi Sakamoto? Oscar-Winning Composer Dies At 71

Ryuichi Sakamoto was a Japanese composer and actor who was known as a member of the Yellow Magic Orchestra. He was one of the most recognized and talented Japanese composers to make an international impact. He was an Oscar and Grammy award winner thanks to the 1987 movie The Last Emperor.

He was born on January 17, 1952, in Nakano City, Tokyo, Japan. He had a daughter called Miu Sakamoto and was once married to Akiko Yano.

He was reported dead on April 2, 2023, however, his death occurred on March 28, 2023, while undergoing treatment for cancer. Sakamoto suffered three different types of cancers before he died. He revealed that he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014. In 2022, he also shared that he had terminal cancer just a year after disclosing that he was suffering from rectal cancer. He was 71 years old at the time of death.

Despite battling cancer, in his last days, he managed to release an album on his 71st birthday in January 2023, dubbed 12.