Musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, a Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) member, and the first Japanese to win the U.S. Oscar for Best Original Score, passed away on March 28. He was 71 years old.

Sakamoto began his career as a studio musician while a student at Tokyo University of Arts and its graduate school, and in 1953 formed YMO with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, which took the world by storm with hits such as "RYDEEN" and "Technopolis." Their innovative synthesizer-based music and techno-pop had a tremendous impact on future musicians.

As an actor, he co-starred with David Bowie and Beat Takeshi in Nagisa Oshima's "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence," released in 1983. He also composed the music for the film, for which he became the first Japanese to win the British Academy Award for Best Score for a Film, and also became the first Japanese to win an Oscar for Best Original Score for the 1987 film "The Last Emperor.

In 1992, he composed the music for the opening ceremony of the Barcelona Olympics, and in 1999, his single "Energy Flow," a solo song used in a TV commercial, became a million-seller. Also known by the nicknames "Professor" and "World Famous Sakamoto," he left behind a diverse body of work that drew on his extensive knowledge of classical, rock, and ethnic music.

Along with his obituary, his management company introduced Ryuichi Sakamoto's favorite line, "Ars longa, vita brevis. Art is long, and life is short. Therefore, we want to present a theme song of "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" by Ryuichi Sakamoto himself. This song is still loved worldwide today, and we offer our sincere condolences to his soulful soul.

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence / Ryuichi Sakamoto - From Ryuichi Sakamoto: Playing the Piano 2022

Avex portal - [Ryuichi Sakamoto] Report