Legendary Japanese composer and Oscar winner, Ryuichi Sakamoto is dead. He was 71. 

His management team announced that he died on March 28. He had been treated for cancer in recent years. The artist’s official Twitter account also confirmed his death. 

Sakamoto announced in June last year that he was battling stage four cancer. He had previously been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and rectal cancer in 2021

“We would like to share one of Sakamoto’s favorite quotes: ‘Ars longa, vita brevis.’ Art is long, life is short,” a statement read.

Ryuichi Sakamoto was an award-winning composer and member of the pioneering electronic act Yellow Magic Orchestra. 

Born in Tokyo in 1952, Sakamoto studied music composition at the Tokyo University of the Arts during the early 1970s. It was during this period that he first began playing as a session musician and working as a composer and producer for other musicians. 

In 1978, he co-founded the influential electronic act Yellow Magic Orchestra where he played the keyboard. The group would go on to enjoy international success and be partially credited with the emergence of the house and Techno genres. 

Ryuichi Sakamoto is more famous for his works in the film industry. 

He wrote the score and starred alongside David Bowie in the 1983 film “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence.” Four years later, he took home a Golden Globe and Oscar for best music for his score for “The Last Emperor.” This made him the first Japanese musician to win an Oscar. 

Besides music, Sakamoto was also known for his activism and strong anti-nuclear views. He demonstrated against nuclear power plants and he co-organised a “No Nukes” concert in 2012. 

Tributes poured in from the art world, following the news of his death. 

Japanese actor, Haruka Abe, tweeted that his music “will live on forever” and US author Frederick Joseph described it as “the score of many of my life moments.” 

In accordance with Sakamoto’s wish, a funeral service was held with his close family members, his management team said.