Ryuichi Sakamoto, the influential electronic music composer and member of the Yellow Magic Orchestra who won an Oscar for the score for “The Last Emperor” and composed the haunting score for “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence,” died Tuesday after a long battle with cancer. He was 71.
A statement from his management company said, “He lived with music until the very end. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to his fans and all those who have supported his activities, as well as the medical professionals in Japan and the U.S. who did everything in their power to cure him.”
Sakamoto also acted; he co-starred with David Bowie in 1983’s “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence,” the story of a British colonel who tries to make peace between a Japanese camp commander, played by Sakamoto, and a British P.O.W., played by Bowie. The theme song “Forbidden Colours,” co-written and sung by David Sylvain over Sakamoto’s haunting theme for the film, was released as a single and became a hit; it can still be heard playing at Cannes’ Palais des Festivals 40 years after it played in official competition.
