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.
Composer Ryuichi Sakamoto attends a news conference in Berlin for the 68th Berlinale International Film Festiva, February 15, 2018. REUTERS/ Fabrizio Bensch/ File Photo
But he was perhaps best known for his film soundtracks, including for the World War II drama "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence," in which he also acted opposite his friend David Bowie as a prisoner-of-war camp commandant. He lived in New York for decades, but his prolific career made him a huge star in his home country, where he was renowned for his strident anti-nuclear campaigning.
He discovered the piano at a young age, and has said that Bach, Haydn and Debussy fascinated him as a teenager as much as the Beatles and Rolling Stones. Their high-energy techno-pop had an enormous influence on electronic music worldwide, and inspired the synthesized melodies of early Japanese video games.
Sakamoto was also a dedicated environmental campaigner, who became a prominent figure in Japan's anti-nuclear movement after the 2011 Fukushima meltdown.
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Pioneering composer and eco-warrior Ryuichi Sakamoto dies age 71Pioneering 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.
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