Ryuichi Sakamoto has died at 71. The acclaimed Japanese musician handed away on March 28, per an announcement from his administration group.
Sakamoto was recognized with throat most cancers in 2014, which went into remission after therapy, however in 2021 he revealed that he had been recognized with colon most cancers. Last yr, he revealed that the most cancers had unfold and he now had a stage 4 prognosis. This previous December, Sakamoto carried out a livestreamed solo piano live performance that he mentioned may very well be his final.
“While undergoing treatment for cancer discovered in June 2020, Sakamoto continued to create works in his home studio whenever his health would allow,” reads a message posted on his web site. “He lived with music until the very end. 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. who did everything in their power to cure him.”
Sakamoto was born on January 17, 1952 in Tokyo. He was enamored with music from a younger age, taking part in piano on the age of three and performing with jazz bands in highschool. He enrolled on the Tokyo University Of The Arts in 1970 and graduated with levels in music composition and ethnomusicology. In 1978, he launched his debut solo album Thousand Knives Of Ryuichi Sakamoto, and round that very same time he linked up with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi — each of whom he had performed with as a session musician earlier than — and shaped the band Yellow Magic Orchestra.
YMO have been a foundational synth-pop band, and their 1978 debut album was a sensation in Japan. Its singles “Computer Game” and “Firecracker” have been hits, each of their native nation and overseas, they usually additionally have been influential within the growth of hip-hop, puffed up by Afrika Bambaataa and sampled by numerous others. The trio developed their sound and broke new synthesizer floor with their albums, from Solid State Survivor in 1979 by way of Service in 1983, after which they might break up however depart behind an simple influence on the world of digital music and past.
While nonetheless in YMO, Sakamoto continued to place out music of his personal. His 1980 album B-2 Unit spawned the influential observe “Riot In Lagos.” In 1983, as YMO was within the strategy of breaking apart, Sakamoto composed his first movie rating for Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, which he additionally starred in alongside David Bowie. In 1987, he had a job in The Last Emperor, and he composed a rating for it with David Byrne and Cong Su — they gained the Academy Award for Best Original Score.
Sakamoto collaborated with many musicians all through his profession: David Sylvain, Adrian Belew and Robin Scott, Iggy Pop, Brian Wilson and Robert Wyatt, Robbie Robertson, Carsten Nicolai (aka Alva Noto), Christopher Willits, and Fennesz, amongst many others. He composed scores for administrators like Pedro Almodóvar, Bernardo Bertolucci, Brian De Palma, Oliver Stone, and Nagisa Ōshima. He made music for sporting occasions, together with an anthem for the Japan Football Association and the opening ceremony of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
He saved up a gradual procession of solo materials all through the ’90s and ’00s, together with piano and orchestral work and albums that pushed his sound ahead into the avant-garde. He recorded yet one more album with YMO, Technodon, in 1993, and the members of the band reunited a number of instances in varied configurations through the ’00s to carry out stay. (YMO’s Yukihiro Takahashi handed away this previous January.)
His work continued into the 2010s and this decade, even amidst his most cancers prognosis and therapy. In 2015, he contributed to the rating for The Revenant alongside Bryce Dessner and frequent collaborator Alva Noto. In 2017, Sakomoto launched his first album of latest materials in eight years, async, and a remix album adopted the subsequent yr that includes contributions from Oneohtrix Point Never, Arca, Cornelius, and Andy Stott. He scored an episode of the Netflix anthology sequence Black Mirror in 2019. Earlier this yr, in January, he launched the brand new album 12. And a month earlier than that, in December 2022, he livestreamed what would become his ultimate live performance: a solo piano efficiency that acted as a retrospective for his lengthy and storied profession.
In the assertion posted on Sakamoto’s web site asserting his passing, his administration group wrote:
In accordance with Sakamoto’s sturdy needs, the funeral service was held amongst his shut relations. Please perceive that we’re unable to just accept any calls of condolences, choices of incense or flowers, and the like.
Finally, we wish to share considered one of Sakamoto’s favourite quotes:
“Ars longa, vita brevis.”
Art is lengthy, life is brief.While many will share on this loss, we ask that you just respect the household’s privateness throughout their time of grief.