Oscar and Grammy-winning Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto has passed away due to illness

The famous Japanese composer, whose music influenced the emergence and development of many well-known contemporary artists, Ryuichi Sakamoto, has died at the age of 71. He was an Oscar, Golden Globe, Grammy, and BAFTA award winner.

Sakamoto was diagnosed with cancer for the second time in 2021. The musician faced his first cancer back in 2014. He actively fought the disease, but was never able to win. The legend passed away on March 28. This was reported by CNN.

Sakamoto became the first Japanese to win an Oscar for Best Original Score. He was awarded the prestigious golden statuette for his composition for The Last Emperor in 1988. He also received a Grammy and a BAFTA for the same score.

The composer has written music for more than one successful movie. He has worked on films including: "Little Buddha", "Under the Shadow of Heaven", "The Legend of Hugh Glass" and many others. He also starred in the movie Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence.

The musician became famous for his participation in the Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO), which he founded with his colleagues Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1978. The group's work laid the foundations of Japanese electronic music, and Sakamoto himself was later called the "grandfather of electronic pop."

"When I write music, my mind is limited by the Western compositional forms I learned as a teenager. But I've always wanted to break them, to break down this wall, to get rid of the limitations I'm stuck in. Sometimes using electronics or mixing with electronic sounds can help break that wall," Sakamoto said in 2018 about his work.

Earlier, OBOZREVATEL wrote that on March 29, the famous Ukrainian composer, pianist and arranger Pavlo Dremliuzhenko, who collaborated with a number of famous artists, passed away: Tina Karol, Iryna Bilyk, The Hardkiss, Lida Lee, and others. The musician spent the last year of his life in a hospital in Poland. He fought cancer, but was unable to overcome the disease.

Also on April 1, the famous Ukrainian theater and film actor Oleksandr Hetmansky passed away. On January 22, 2023, the actor celebrated his 63rd birthday.

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