Japanese musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto dies

Japanese composer and Oscar winner Ryuichi Sakamoto has died at the age of 71. Sakamoto died of cancer on March 28, his management announced on Sunday. The musician had been awarded an Oscar and a Grammy for his music for the film "The Last Emperor" (1987).

The musician was considered a pioneer of electronic music and a pioneer for music genres such as synth pop, house music and hip hop. However, he became known for his film music, including for the film "Furyo - Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" (1983). He also acted alongside his friend David Bowie in the war drama. The song "Forbidden Colors" became an international hit.

Sakamoto lived in New York for decades. In his native Japan he was a big star, was active in the anti-nuclear movement and founded a relief fund in 2011 to replace school pianos destroyed in the tsunami disaster. In 2014 he survived lung cancer. In 2015 he composed the film music for The Revenant. In 2018 Sakamoto sat on the jury of the Berlinale.

In early 2021, the musician then announced that he was being treated for colon cancer. His management published one of Sakamoto's favorite quotes with the death notice on Sunday: "Art is long, life is short."