He was one of the big names in minimalist music: Who is Ryuichi Sakamoto?

In 1987, he won the Oscar for Best Original Score for the music he composed for Bernardo Bertolucci's film "The Last Emperor".

Sakamoto has also composed music for films such as "Sheltering Sky" and "Little Buddha".

The information that the legendary musician, known to have been battling cancer since 2014, died on March 28, 2023, was shared on his official social media accounts.

World-famous, Oscar-winning Japanese musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto has died at the age of 71.

WHY DID RYUICHI SAKAMOTO DIE?

It was announced that Ryuichi Sakamoto, who was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer in 2014, has been treated for rectal cancer since 2021.

WHO IS RYUICHI SAKAMOTO?

Ryuichi Sakamoto was born on January 17, 1952, in Tokyo, Japan.

Ryuichi Sakamoto, who started writing sheet music at the age of 10, was influenced by the "Beatles" group and the French composer "Debussy".

Founding the "Yellow Magic Orchestra" (YMO) group in 1978, Sakamoto increased his popularity at home and abroad with his "futuristic technopop" works for movies and games.

The 1983 song "My Heart Beats for You" (Kimi no Mune Kyun) by the YMO group, which focuses on electronic music, was among the hits of the period. Having earned a master's degree from the Tokyo University of the Arts, Sakamoto also took part in the production of more than 30 films.

Sakamoto, one of the few Japanese artists who do not shy away from political discourse, said that the situation regarding the attacks after September 11 was "created by the hegemonic nation of the USA".

Sakamoto won an Oscar for Best Original Score for the 1987 film The Last Emperor.

The Japanese musician, who is very popular abroad, also has Grammy and Golden Globe awards.

Details of his life story

Ryuichi Sakamoto's professional career began in the 1970s when he worked as a studio musician and arranger. The sonic universe created by the Yellow Magic Orchestra, which he founded with Yukihiro Takahashi and Haruomi Hosono, with drum machines, synthesizers, digital sounds, and more, pioneered the electropop frenzy that would sweep Japan and the world in the 1980s.

Fennesz, Alva Noto, David Sylvian, and Youssou N'Dour are among the other names he has worked with both as a musician and a producer throughout his career. Sakamoto, who has composed compositions for many different disciplines from video games to feature films, from various installations to stage productions, also includes Oscar, BAFTA, and Golden Globe awards in his extensive collection.

Ryuichi Sakamoto, who continued to produce until the last days of his life; turned his life after cancer treatment into an audio diary and released his last solo album called 12 in January 2023. The album, which infiltrates the ears with heavy sensations, intense synth masses, and unhurried piano touches, is interpreted as "perhaps the most personal record of my 50-year composing career".

Milan Records, the label that publishes Sakamoto's most recent works, also saluted this unique legacy last year with an homage album titled A Tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto – To the Moon and Back.

Sakamoto's musical inspirations include Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinsky, Maurice Ravel, J.S. Classical and modern composers such as Bach, John Cage, and Karlheinz Stockhausen are featured. It has also been influenced by popular and electronic music artists such as The Beatles, Kraftwerk, and Brian Eno.

Sakamoto is also an active environmental activist. He worked to raise public awareness of climate change and nuclear energy.