Popular Japanese composer and producer Ryuichi Sakamoto, who is known for his electronic music experimentation, died on Tuesday, media reports said on Monday.
He was 71.
Sakamoto had been diagnosed with cancer for a second time in 2021. His office said he died on Tuesday, reports BBC.
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ryuichi sakamoto (@ryuichisakamoto) April 2, 2023
He pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO).
With his bandmates Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, Sakamoto influenced and pioneered a number of electronic music genres.
As a film-score composer, Sakamoto won an Oscar, a BAFTA, a Grammy, and 2 Golden Globe Awards.
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) marked his debut as both an actor and a film-score composer.
His most successful work as a film composer was The Last Emperor (1987), after which he continued earning accolades composing for films such as The Sheltering Sky (1990), Little Buddha (1993), and The Revenant (2015).
On occasion, Sakamoto also worked as a composer and a scenario writer on anime and video games.
In 2009, he was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the Ministry of Culture of France for his contributions to music.
