What caused Oscar-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto’s death?

Oscar-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto has passed away at the age of 71.

What caused Oscar-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto’s death?

Sakamoto passed away on Tuesday. He was first diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, and was later diagnosed with colon cancer in 2021.

Recording company Avex posted a statement regarding his passing on Twitter on Sunday.

“While undergoing treatment for cancer discovered in June 2020, Sakamoto continued to create works in his home studio whenever his health would allow him to. He lived with music until the very end,” read a statement.

“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.”

The statement noted that a private funeral among close family had already taken place.

Sakamoto’s career

Born in Tokyo in 1952, Sakamoto grew up listening to The Beatles as well as classical greats, like Bach.

In 1978 he co-founded the influential electronic group ‘Yellow Magic Orchestra’, but it’s his soundtrack work that he’s most known for.

Sakamoto wrote the score for the 1983 film ‘Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence’, in which he co-starred along with David Bowie.

The film focuses on a British colonel who tries to make peace between a Japanese camp commander (Sakamoto) and a British P.O.W. (Bowie). The theme song, ‘Forbidden Colours’, sung by David Sylvain, became a hit and can still be heard playing at Cannes’ Palais des Festivals.

Four years after that, he won a Golden Globe and Oscar for Best Music for his score of ‘The Last Emperor’.

He also scored other films, including ‘Femme Fatale’, ‘Snake Eyes’, ‘High Heels’, ‘The Little Buddha’ and ‘The Sheltering Sky’. He also contributed several pieces to the soundtrack for ‘Babel’, which won an Oscar.

Sakamoto also worked in his later years, including the score for ‘The Revenant’ in 2015.

An album of his music, curated by Revenant director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, will be released on May 5.