Sakamoto Ryuichi

Sakamoto was one of Japan's most successful musicians, acclaimed for work in Yellow Magic Orchestra as well as solo albums and film scores.

[The Last Emperor](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/apr/15/the-last-emperor) (in which he also had an acting role), he collaborated with Bernardo Bertolucci again for The Last Buddha, and with Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence director Nagisa Oshima for Gohatto. In 1999 he debuted the multimedia opera project Life, in collaboration with artist Shiro Takatani with contributions from Bertolucci, Pina Bausch and more. [Japan](https://www.theguardian.com/world/japan) – in 1980, two of their albums stayed at No 1 and No 2 in the charts for seven weeks, and they had seven Top 5 albums during their career. He and Takatani extended the concept into installation work from 2007 onwards. He took no further acting roles, aside from appearing as a film director in Rain, a music video for Madonna. Sakamoto also starred in the film as a prisoner of war camp commander. He acted alongside David Bowie in the 1983 film Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence and composed its [celebrated theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF9_9MZyQGo), the first in a series of film scores including Oscar-winning work in 1987 with David Byrne and Cong Su for Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor. In 2019, he composed the music for an episode of dystopian TV drama series Black Mirror. He was born in Tokyo in 1952, and began taking piano lessons aged six, later attending Tokyo University of the Arts to study music. He also scored two films by Brian De Palma (Snake Eyes and Femme Fatale), plus Wild Palms for Oliver Stone, High Heels for Pedro Almodóvar, the 1990 film adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale, and more. Michael Jackson covered their song Behind the Mask and intended to include it on Thriller, but a royalties disagreement prevented it. He trained on early synthesisers, and enthused by everything from Debussy to Kraftwerk, began working on various musical projects, including with Hosono and Takahashi.

World-renowned Japanese composer and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto has died at the age of 71 after battling cancer, his management company KAB America Inc.

He worked continuously until his later years, including the score for 2015 film 'The Revenant.' Four years later, he took home a Golden Globe and Oscar for best music for his score for the 'The Last Emperor.' Sakamoto wrote the score and starred alongside David Bowie in the 1983 film 'Merry Christmas, Mr.

Ryuichi Sakamoto, an award-winning composer and member of pioneering electronic act Yellow Magic Orchestra, has died. He was 71 years old. Japanese publica.

[this FAQ](https://support.japantimes.co.jp/hc/en-us/articles/12513310460825). [he was battling stage 4 cancer](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2022/06/07/music/sakamoto-cancer/). [official Twitter account confirmed the news](https://twitter.com/ryuichisakamoto/status/1642507238467309568).

World-renowned Japanese musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, also the keyboardist of the legendary electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra, ...

The article was the first installment in a series of articles titled "How Many More Times Will I See the Full Moon?" Later, in an interview, he revealed that this experience "was at the core of who I am." Cancer later spread to his lungs, requiring him to undergo surgeries in October and December 2021. YMO's hit tunes also include "Kimi ni Mune Kyun" (my heart beats for you), a single released in 1983. Lawrence," and won an Oscar and Grammy for scoring the 1987 movie "The Last Emperor." In 1978, Sakamoto formed YMO with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi.

Ryuichi Sakamoto, the Oscar-winning Japanese composer famed for his scores for "The Last Emperor", "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" and other films, ...

His most celebrated work was 1987's "The Last Emperor" - a film in which he also acted. So the music goes around the world and comes full circle," he told WNYC public radio in 2010. Introduced to the piano as a toddler, Sakamoto lived for music.

Ryuichi Sakamoto, keyboardist for the pioneering Yellow Magic Orchestra and Oscar-winning composer of 'The Last Emperor,' has died at the age of 71.

But, I am hoping to make music for a little while longer,” he wrote in 2021. That album spawned the electro single “Riot in Lagos,” which in turn informed the music of Afrika Bambaataa and Mantronix. In 1987, director Bernardo Bertolucci enlisted Sakamoto, along with David Byrne and Chinese composer Cong Su, to create the score for his epic The Last Emperor. “I decided to cancel all the projects. … Of course, treatment was the most important thing and I had the most harsh, physically painful time in my life. “I began training in music when I was little and attended a music university, but I never wanted to do it professionally. “I had plenty of time not doing anything, maybe since I was early-20s or something, when I was a student. Lawrence; that film also marked Sakamoto’s first score, and would later win the BAFTA in that category. In 1978, Sakamoto — at the time a classically-trained session musician — along with drummer/singer Takahashi, and bassist/keyboardist/vocalist Haruomi Hosono (previously of the famed Japanese rock bands Apryl Fool and Happy End) joined forces to found the the supergroup Yellow Magic Orchestra. In 2014, Sakamoto was first diagnosed with throat cancer, resulting in a yearlong hiatus from music as he battled the disease. Then I joined the Yellow Magic Orchestra because I wanted to work with those two very talented musicians. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to his fans and all those who have supported his activities, as well as the medical professionals in Japan and the U.S.

The pioneering musician and composer revealed a colon cancer diagnosis in January 2021.

In the span of five years, Yellow Magic Orchestra released seven albums, culminating their original run with Service in 1983. Tracks like “Computer Magic” and “Firecracker” were later sampled by early hip-hop and techno producers and contributed to the early mainstreaming of video game music just as the gaming industry was having its first real boom in the West. The pioneering Japanese musician and composer, who first came to prominence as a member of [Yellow Magic Orchestra](https://pitchfork.com/artists/yellow-magic-orchestra/) in 1978, had shared in [a statement](https://pitchfork.com/news/ryuichi-sakamoto-diagnosed-with-cancer-for-a-second-time/) in January 2021 that he had been diagnosed with colon cancer, several years after he first returned to music after [treatment](https://pitchfork.com/news/60643-ryuichi-sakamoto-in-great-shape-following-cancer-treatment/) for [throat cancer](https://pitchfork.com/news/55850-ryuichi-sakamoto-diagnosed-with-cancer/). He studied at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, where he received his degree in composition and his masters in music. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to his fans and all those who have supported his activities, as well as the medical professionals in Japan and the U.S. [Ryuichi Sakamoto](http://pitchfork.com/artists/3683-ryuichi-sakamoto/) died on Tuesday, March 28, the musician’s management has [announced](https://twitter.com/commmons/status/1642507718832586754/).

The renowned composer and producer has passed away aged 71.

[April 2, 2023] In 2014, Sakamoto was first diagnosed with throat cancer. Additionally, he composed the soundtrack for films such as The Last Emperor and The Revenant as well as 1983’s Merry Christmas, Mr Laurence in which he also starred in alongside David Bowie. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to his fans and all those who have supported his activities, as well as the medical professionals in Japan and the U.S. Born in 1952, Sakamoto took up piano from an early age and over the course of his creative career was a pioneer within electronic and ambient music. The post revealed that he passed away last week on 28 March.

Mr. Sakamoto, whose work with Yellow Magic Orchestra influenced electronic music, composed scores for “The Last Emperor” and “The Revenant.”

Mr. In later years, Mr. Nicolai, who layered glitchy electronics over Mr. “I just wanted to be showered in sound,” he said of the record. The group broke up in 1984, in part because Mr. In the 21st century, he began to focus again on more experimental work, inspired by a new generation of collaborators including the producer Fennesz and Mr. Nicolai, who performs under the name Alva Noto, Mr. “Perhaps it’s because people are looking for healing, for some answer to the stress of their country’s recession,” Mr. [synth-heavy title track](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF9_9MZyQGo) remained one of Mr. Then came music for films by the director Bernardo Bertolucci, including “The Last Emperor” (1987) “The Sheltering Sky” (1990) and “Little Buddha (1993). [Nagisa Oshima](https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/16/movies/nagisa-oshima-iconoclastic-filmmaker-dies-at-80.html) asked him to co-star, alongside David Bowie, in “Merry Christmas, Mr. Equally comfortable in futuristic techno, orchestral works, video game tracks and intimate piano solos, Mr.

The award-winning composer and producer, whose fans included David Bowie, has died aged 71.

As a student he was classically trained but later specialised in ethnomusicology at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. So the music goes around the world and comes full circle," he said in 2010. His film score for The Last Emperor, in 1987, won him an Oscar, a Grammy and a Golden Globe. Music is music." "After I wake up I start thinking, hmm, which music will I listen to," he said. Sometimes using electronics or blending with electronic sound can help to break this wall."

Ryuichi Sakamoto, the composer who won an Oscar for The Last Emperor, died March 28 of cancer at 71.

Along with releasing the diary-like “12” in 2023, and being the subject of a various artists’ tribute album at the end of 2022, “To the Moon and Back,” Sakamoto was in the planning stages of “KAGAMI,” which is scheduled to have its New York premiere this summer at the Shed in New York. In February 2023, Sakamoto set his next soundtrack scoring job, to write the music for Palme d’Or-winning director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s forthcoming feature “Monster,” although the status of that work is unclear. “Ryuichi is very curious about new music, new forms,” said JC Chamboredon, the head of Sakamoto’s Milan label and a longtime confidant. Though Sakamoto collaborated with percussionist Tsuchitori Toshiyuki to release the experimental “Disappointment-Hateruma,” in 1975, it was a bourgeoning relationship with Takahashi (who died on January 11, 2023) and multi-instrumentalist Haruomi Hosono that brought the keyboardist his first fame. He composed the score for the opening ceremony for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain (telecast to a live audience of a billion-plus viewers), scored Bertolucci’s “The Sheltering Sky” Oliver Stone’s “Wild Palms” ABC television series, Brian De Palma’s “Snake Eyes” and more. It was not immediately clear whether the show will be altered following his death; either way, it will clearly take on a whole new poignance. [Ryuichi Sakamoto](https://variety.com/t/ryuichi-sakamoto/), the influential electronic music composer and member of the Yellow Magic Orchestra who won an Oscar for the score for “The Last Emperor” and composed the haunting score for “Merry Christmas Mr. Born in Tokyo on January 17, 1952, Sakamoto was something of a child prodigy, playing piano in his youth and while in high school presaging his later work in electronic music by studying the sounds of Japan’s commuter trains. Lawrence,” the story of a British colonel who tries to make peace between a Japanese camp commander, played by Sakamoto, and a British P.O.W., played by Bowie. in the following years — and beyond. However, by then the members had solo careers well underway, particularly Sakamoto, whose work on “Merry Christmas Mr. in electronic and ethnic music, and studied ethnomusicology with a desire to become a researcher in the traditional music of Japan, India and Africa.

Ryuichi Sakamoto, composed for Hollywood hits such as “The Last Emperor” and “The Revenant”, died at the age 71.

“How we make electricity is going to diversify, with fossil fuel and nuclear power declining,” Sakamoto told The Associated Press in an interview in 2012. At his home in New York, he gets electricity from a company that relies on renewables, he said. The statement expressed gratitude to the doctors who had treated him in the U.S. Sakamoto also left his mark as a pacifist and environmental activist. “To his final days, he lived with music,” it said. He was first diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014.

Ryuichi Sakamoto, the Oscar-winning composer who scored films like The Last Emperor and co-founded Yellow Magic Orchestra, has died at 71.

“The big theme of him is curiosity,” Noto said of Sakamoto in 2021. In addition to starring in the film alongside David Bowie, he won the BAFTA award for Best Score for his work on the film in 1984. [Yellow Magic Orchestra](https://www.vulture.com/2019/02/how-japanese-ambient-music-became-a-thing-in-america.html) with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1978, releasing hits like [“Computer Game.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3XqVBdjNM0&ab_channel=guamshady) A pioneer of electronic music and synthpop in the 1970s, Sakamoto began his film-scoring career with 1983’s Merry Christmas, Mr.

BTS's Suga left a farewell message for legendary Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto after news of his passing.On April 2, legendary Japa…

Shortly after the news of his passing, BTS's Suga took to his personal Instagram and left a farewell message for Ryuichi Sakamoto, showing his respect. He had been undergoing treatment for cancer, and news of his recent death saddened fans all over the world. [BTS](https://www.allkpop.com/artisttag/bts)'s [Suga](https://www.allkpop.com/artisttag/suga) left a farewell message for legendary Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto after news of his passing.