Sakamoto composed the music for films such as The Humming Ridge, Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence and The Last Emperor.
16:43•Updated 16:59
Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto has died at the age of 71, according to his manager.
According to the release, Sakamoto, who had cancer, died already on Friday.
He became known especially for his film music. Sakamoto composed the music for films such as The Humming Ridge, Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence and The Last Emperor.
Sakamoto received several awards during his career, including the Oscar and Grammy Awards, as well as the Golden Globe Award twice.
Sakamoto has been considered one of the pioneers of electronic music with his band Yellow Magic Orchestra. The band’s techno pop has been considered to have influenced, among other things, hip-hop music and early Japanese video game music.
In his native Japan, he was a vocal opponent of nuclear power.
The story was updated at 5 p.m. with more information about Sakamoto’s career.
Source: AFP