Ryuichi Sakamoto, a well-known Japanese composer and producer who was well-known for his experiments with electronic music, passed away at the age of 71. He has earned accolades such as Oscars, Grammys, and Baftas as a soloist and member of the Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). . In 2021, Sakamoto had a second cancer diagnosis. His office announced his passing on Tuesday. He co-starred with David Bowie in the 1983 movie Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence.
His music for The Last Emperor in 1987 brought him three awards: an Oscar, a Grammy, and a Golden Globe. He also had a leading role in an epic movie about Puyi, the final emperor of China. Around the age of 10, Sakamoto started learning to compose, influenced by the Beatles and Debussy.
He joined forces with Yukihiro Takahashi and Haruomi Hosono to form YMO in 1978, playing keyboards and inventing synthesizers that had an impact on techno-pop and hip-hop. Debussy was greatly affected by Asian music, and I was greatly impacted by Debussy. As a result, the music transformed and expanded over the world, he stated in 2010.
Outside of his film work, Sakamoto has collaborated with artists like David Byrne, Iggy Pop, and Brian Wilson. In recent years, especially in relation to Asynchronous 2017, his work has started to directly reflect and confront his medical prognosis. In December 2022, Sakamoto performed at a live event to launch his 20th album 12 and said, “Perhaps the last see me act like that.”
Sakamoto founded the More Trees project, which is devoted to reforestation and carbon offsetting, and performed “Glass” with musician Alvanotto in 2016 under the theme “Anything Can Be Music,” using Philip Johnson’s modernist architectural marvel, the Glass House, as a tangible instrument. His 2017 documentary Coda combined his passion for environmental activism with musical experimentation.
Sakamoto stated earlier in 2019: “Music, work, and life have beginnings and endings. I’m devoted to create music in the last moment of my life, like Bach and Debussy that I love. I currently wish to make music without any time restrictions.