Pioneering Japanese composer, producer, and pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto, who was among the first to bring electronic production into popular music consciousness, has died at 71.
Sakamoto died on March 28 while undergoing treatment for a years-long battle with cancer, according to a statement published on his website Sunday. Even after his cancer was discovered in June 2020, Sakamoto continued creating work in his home studio when his health would allow, most recently releasing the solo album 12 in January.
"He lived with music until the very end,” the statement reads. "We would like to share one of Sakamoto's favorite quotes: 'Ars longa, vita brevis.' Art is long, life is short."
Sakamoto’s music — as both a solo artist and a member of Japan’s internationally acclaimed synth-pop band Yellow Magic Orchestra — saw him revered as both a pop icon whose work anticipated the rise of electronica, and a sonic alchemist whose scores and compositions ranged from the sweepingly dramatic to contemplatively minimalist.
Ryuichi Sakamoto poses in front of a portrait of him performing in KCRW’s basement studios during a return visit to the station in 2016. Photo by KCRW staff.
The Grammy and Oscar winner, who collaborated with the likes of David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Bernardo Bertolucci, visited KCRW numerous times over the decades, a generous performer and conversationalist who came to be a beloved friend of the station. In 2011, Sakamoto and Yellow Magic Orchestra performed in LA for the first time since 1979 as part of KCRW’s World Festival at the Hollywood Bowl.
Celebrate Sakamoto’s spirit and legacy with the below selection of his performances and interviews at KCRW over the years.
More: ‘A musical sponge’: Remembering composer Ryuichi Sakamoto
Ryuichi Sakamoto speaks with Chris Douridas in the KCRW Performance Studio in 2016. Photo by Brian Lowe.
Ryuichi Sakamoto on KCRW
Performance and interview on Morning Becomes Eclectic (2016)
Sakamoto joins Chris Douridas to discuss his award-winning film compositions, including his work on Alejandro Iñárittu’s “The Revenant,” and also plays selections from its score.
Performance and interview on Rhythm Planet (2010)
Sakamoto returns for a live piano performance and interview with Tom Schnabel about his love for John Cage, Toru Takemitsu, his fame, and his double album, Playing the Piano and Out of Noise.
Solo piano performance on MBE (2000)
Sakamoto sits down with Nic Harcourt for a conversation and a stunning solo piano performance.
Interview on MBE (1998)
Sakamoto joins Chris Douridas to discuss his body of work, ranging from the Yellow Magic Orchestra to his film scores for directors including Bernardo Bertolucci and Pedro Almodovar.
The exquisite zen of Ryuichi Sakamoto: On fame, technology, and art (1988)
Sakamoto's first of many visits to the station was on January 25, 1988 at age 34 while in LA for the awards circuit surrounding Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Last Emperor.” He joined then-Morning Becomes Eclectic host and KCRW Music Director Tom Schnabel for an “oblique, Zen-like” conversation touching on fame, TV commercials, technology, artistic influences, and dream collaborations past and present.
More: Japan’s David Sylvain discusses his ongoing collaboration with Ryuichi Sakamoto on MBE (2003)