Famous Japanese musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto He died on March 28 at the age of 71. as a result of colorectal cancer, which he has suffered since 2020, his agency confirmed on Sunday. Sakamoto was known for creating soundtracks for great works such as The last Emperor or Merry Christmas Mr LawrenceAmong other films.

“During the treatment cancer discovered in June 2020, Sakamoto continued to create jobs when his health allowed. He lived with music to the end,” his agency commons said in a statement.

Sakamoto, who started playing the piano when he was little, lived for music. When he was in high school, he rode Tokyo suburban trains so crowded that no one could move, and he amused himself by counting all the sounds the train made along the way. He studied ethnomusicology at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, with a particular interest in the traditional music of Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture, as well as Indian and African musical traditions.

At the request of the artist the funeral service would be held with their close relativesalthough he did not provide further details and asked that the family’s privacy be respected.

Ars longa, vita brevis. Art is long, but life is short,” the text of the community is highlighted as one of the composer’s favorite phrases.

The pianist, who suffered from throat cancer in 2014, from which he was cured, confirmed in early 2021 that he had colorectal cancer that had spread to other organs in the form of metastases.

awarded Oscar for Best Original Score For The Last Emperor, Sakamoto underwent six surgeries last year, including a 20-hour operation to remove a primary rectal tumor and others due to metastases.

He has received many awards and he has written music for famous titles such as Merry Christmas Mr Lawrencein which he also starred as the commander of a Japanese POW camp during the Pacific War, the last Emperor or survivor.

His last concert took place on 11 December.in an online format so that his fans from different time zones could listen to him, and when his cancer was already in the fourth stage, many of his followers thought that this could be the last.