Ryuichi Sakamoto, Pioneering Electronic Musician and Oscar Winner for ‘Last Emperor’ Score, Dies at 71
Ryuichi Sakamoto, the influential electronic music composer and member of the Yellow Magic Orchestra who won an Oscar for the score for “The Last Emperor” and composed the haunting score for “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence,” died Tuesday after a long battle with cancer. He was 71.
A statement from his management company said, “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.”
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Sakamoto also acted; he co-starred with David Bowie in 1983’s “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence,” the story of a British colonel who tries to make peace between a Japanese camp commander, played by Sakamoto, and a British P.O.W., played by Bowie. The theme song “Forbidden Colours,” co-written and sung by David Sylvain over Sakamoto’s haunting theme for the film, was released as a single and became a hit; it can still be heard playing at Cannes’ Palais des Festivals 40 years after it played in official competition.
He also appeared in Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Last Emperor,” winning an Oscar and Golden Globe for his score with David Byrne and Cong Su.
Other films he scored included Brian de Palma’s “Femme Fatale” and “Snake Eyes,” Pedro Almodovar’s “High Heels,” Bertolucci’s “The Little Buddha” and “The Sheltering Sky” and Oliver Stone’s mini-series “Wild Palms.” He contributed a song to Gustavo Santaolalla’s soundtrack of “Babel.”
He was first diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, and announced in 2021 that he had also been diagnosed with colon cancer. His death comes just weeks after that of his Yellow Magic Orchestra co-founder Yukihiro Takahashi.
Born in Tokyo on January 17, 1952, Sakamoto was something of a child prodigy, playing piano in his youth and while in high school presaging his later work in electronic music by studying the sounds of Japan’s commuter trains. Entering the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 1970, Sakamoto earned a B.A. in music composition, an M.A. in electronic and ethnic music, and studied ethnomusicology with a desire to become a researcher in the traditional music of Japan, India and Africa.
With his classical music training winning out (Claude Debussy was an inspiration), Sakamoto began applying his studies to a newfound interest in computers and electronic music equipment such as the ARP, the Moog and the Buchla synthesizers.
Though Sakamoto collaborated with percussionist Tsuchitori Toshiyuki to release the experimental “Disappointment-Hateruma,” in 1975, it was a bourgeoning relationship with Takahashi (who died on January 11, 2023) and multi-instrumentalist Haruomi Hosono that brought the keyboardist his first fame. The trio formed Yellow Magic Orchestra — a Kraftwerk-like ensemble with an emphasis on rich melody and new wave quirk — and released its eponymous debut in 1978, the same year that Sakamoto dropped his solo debut, “Thousand Knives.”
Across seven albums released between 1978 and 1983, Yellow Magic Orchestra and the members’ solo work cast a strong influence on the synth-pop wave that spread across England and the U.S. in the following years — and beyond. Along with having massive international hits such as “Computer Game/Firecracker” and “Technopolis,” YMO’s Sakamoto-sung “Behind the Mask” was covered by Eric Clapton for his 1986 album “August,” and was recorded by Michael Jackson for 1982’s “Thriller.” However, Jackson’s original track did not make it to “Thriller” due to a royalties dispute with YMO management, but a remixed version eventually released on Jackson’s 2010 posthumous album “Michael,” and its original demo was released on 2022’s anniversary album, “Thriller 40.”
Yellow Magic Orchestra put the brakes on its activities as a band in 1984, reuniting several times for Japanese tours, and one album, 1993’s “Technodon.”
However, by then the members had solo careers well underway, particularly Sakamoto, whose work on “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence” had made him into an international star and collaborated musically with Iggy Pop, Adrian Belew and many others (he even appeared in a video for Madonna’s 1992 song “Rain”), along with his burgeoning soundtrack work.
He composed the score for the opening ceremony for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain (telecast to a live audience of a billion-plus viewers), scored Bertolucci’s “The Sheltering Sky” Oliver Stone’s “Wild Palms” ABC television series, Brian De Palma’s “Snake Eyes” and more. Sakamoto’s most recently released screen score was for 2022’s “Exception” science fiction horror anime series on Netflix. In February 2023, Sakamoto set his next soundtrack scoring job, to write the music for Palme d’Or-winning director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s forthcoming feature “Monster,” although the status of that work is unclear.
Sakamoto also continued making solo albums of varying sounds and shapes – including 2004’s experimental “Chasm” with his former bandmates Hosono and Takahashi.
He was diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer in 2014, but the following year cautiously announced that his condition had improved. “Right now I’m good. I feel better. Much, much better,” he stated. “I feel energy inside, but you never know. The cancer might come back in three years, five years, maybe 10 years.”
He went on to release one of his most emotional albums, “Async,” in 2017, with its remix album “Async – Remodels” following in 2018, featuring young producers such as Fennesz, Cornelius, Oneohtrix Point Never and Arca.
“Ryuichi is very curious about new music, new forms,” said JC Chamboredon, the head of Sakamoto’s Milan label and a longtime confidant. “He’s very in-tune and fond of watching YouTube and checking out underground bands. He’s everlastingly curious.”
After having his throat cancer go into remission in 2021, Sakamoto was then diagnosed with rectal cancer, writing “From now on, I will be living alongside cancer. But I am hoping to make music for a little while longer.”
Along with releasing the diary-like “12” in 2023, and being the subject of a various artists’ tribute album at the end of 2022, “To the Moon and Back,” Sakamoto was in the planning stages of “KAGAMI,” which is scheduled to have its New York premiere this summer at the Shed in New York. According to its representatives at the mixed-reality content production studio Tin Drum, the showcase will represent a new kind of concert, fusing moving photography with the real world in a mixed-media presentation. Though Sakamoto would not physically be present in New York, audiences wearing optically transparent devices will be able to view a virtual Sakamoto performing on piano alongside dimensional art aligned with the music. It was not immediately clear whether the show will be altered following his death; either way, it will clearly take on a whole new poignance.
Sakamoto is survived by his wife and manager, Norika Sora; his ex-wife, Japanese pianist and singer Akiko Yano; and four children.
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