Ryuichi Sakamoto, Oscar-Winning Composer & Yellow Magic Orchestra Member, Dies at 71

Ryuichi Sakamoto, a Japanese musician who scored for Hollywood movies such as The Last Emperor and The Revenant, has died. He was 71.

Japan’s recording company Avex said in a statement that Sakamoto died on March 28.

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Sakamoto, who had suffered from cancer in recent years, had also acted in films, including playing a Japanese soldier in Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence.

He was a pioneer in electronics music of the late 1970s, founding the Yellow Magic Orchestra with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi. He has been nominated several times for the Grammy Award, and won an Oscar for his work in The Last Emperor.

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