Pioneering composer and eco-warrior Ryuichi Sakamoto dies at 71

Pioneering Japanese composer and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto has died on March 28, 2023 aged 71, after battling cancer, his management team said in a statement on April 2. Photo: AFP

Pioneering composer and green activist Ryuichi Sakamoto, whose score for The Last Emperor scooped an Oscar and a Grammy, has died aged 71 after his second cancer diagnosis.

Having shot to fame in the 1970s with the influential Japanese group Yellow Magic Orchestra, Sakamoto's electronic innovations helped lay the foundations for synth-pop, house music and hip hop.