Published
Sun, Apr 2, 2023, 13:55
- The Japanese musician passed away on March 28th after a long spell with cancer.
Ryuichi Sakamoto, the keyboardist and cofounder of Japanese synth pop band Yellow Magic Orchestra, has died.
The news was announced today, April 2nd, by Sakamoto's office. He had stage-four colon cancer, which had spread to his lungs.
Originally from Tokyo, Sakamoto formed Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1977 along with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi. The group found national and then international fame with their up-tempo electro pop. Sakamoto wrote and composed a number of the band's hit songs, including "Yellow Magic (Tong Poo)," "Technopolis," "Ongaku" and "You've Got to Help Yourself." He has been cited as a major influence on electro, techno, hip-hop, ambient and other styles of electronic music.
Sakamoto pursued a parallel solo career, releasing more than 20 albums between 1973 and 2023. He also composed film soundtracks, winning an Oscar, a Grammy and a Golden Globe for his score to Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor. He was also awarded a BAFTA for the soundtrack to Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, a film that he starred in alongside David Bowie.
Sakamoto was a lifelong anti-nuclear activist and in 2012 organised the No Nukes concert, which featured performances by 18 groups, including Yellow Magic Orchestra and Kraftwerk. He was also known as a strident critic of copyright law, and campaigned for creative freedom for artists and musicians.
Listen to "Rydeen" by Yellow Magic Orchestra.
Electronic music figures have been paying tribute to Sakamoto on social media.