On January 9, according to the obituary released by the office of Japanese singer Aki Yashiro, Aki Yashiro died of illness on December 30, 2023, at the age of 73. According to the office, Aki Yashiro's funeral was completed on January 8, and the mayor of his hometown of Yatsushiro City, Hiroshi Nakamura, delivered a eulogy.
Yatsushiro Aki, formerly known as Masuda Akira, was born in Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan, and his stage name Yatsushiro was taken from his hometown. At the age of 15, Aki Yashiro came to Tokyo alone and worked as a resident singer at the Ginza Club, and made his official debut in 1971 with the single "Love When You Die". Aki Yashiro was one of the most important singers in the Japanese music scene from the early 70s to the late 80s, and his musical works were well-known, among which songs such as "Tearful Love", "Rain's Love", "The End of Love" and "Boat Song" had a great impact and were widely praised internationally.
Aki Yashiro's songs have left a deep mark on cross-cultural communication. Her songs have been adapted by Huang Yiling into "Little Rain, Little Rain", and Teresa Teng's "Sweet Little Rain" and "Bits and Pieces in the Rain" are all covers of her popular songs.
Yashiro Aki and Teresa Teng are also close friends, and after Teresa Teng's death, Yatsushiro Aki sang "Airport" in Japanese and Chinese at his concert to remember his friend Teresa Teng, which moved the audience.
Screenshot of Teresa Teng (left) and Yashiro Aki singing in the 80s of the last century
At the age of 70, Aki Yatsushiro announced her divorce from her husband, who was a singer and later became Aki Yashiro's agent, the two have known each other for nearly 50 years, and announced their marriage in 1994. This news also shocked many people at the time.
In addition to being a singer, Aki Yatsushiro is also a painter and actress, her paintings have been exhibited at the Paris Salon for five consecutive years, and she is the first foreign artist to become a permanent member of the exhibition. In addition, she has also guest starred in several screen works such as the Taiga drama "Hideyoshi".
It is reported that in September last year, Aki Yashiro reported to the office that he was unwell, and was diagnosed with collagen disease after seeking medical treatment many times. This is a disease of collagen and collagen gene mutation, which may bring unexplained fever, rash, joint pain and swelling, muscle pain and other uncomfortable symptoms to patients, and it is only four months from the diagnosis of collagen disease to death, which also makes many fans feel embarrassed.
Aki Yashiro was last seen in public on September 9 last year as a guest at the "Hino Hiromasa Quintet" concert, which also became the last performance of her life.
Many netizens left messages saying that it was a pity, but classic songs will never be forgotten.
Edited by Duan Lian Du Bo
Proofreading|Sun Zhicheng
The daily economic news is synthesized from Chengdu Business Daily, Red Star News, Yangtze Evening News, netizen comments, public information, etc
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