Japanese actress, singer Miho Nakayama found dead at Tokyo home
Japanese actress and singer Miho Nakayama, known for having starred in the acclaimed 1995 romantic film "Love Letter," and a string of hit dramas, was found dead Friday in the bathtub of her Tokyo home, investigative sources said.
A representative of the 54-year-old's agency and an acquaintance discovered her body when they visited her home after she failed to show up for an appointment, according to police.
Miho Nakayama. (Kyodo)
Nakayama was found seated in a bathtub filled with water, with the front door of her home locked. Foul play is considered unlikely, and police are conducting an investigation into the circumstances of her death, the sources said.
She was due to perform at a Christmas concert in Osaka later in the day, but her official website announced a cancellation, citing "health issues." She last held a concert in Yokohama near Tokyo on Sunday.
"We are in shock and grief at this sudden turn of events. The cause of her death and other details are currently being investigated," her agency said in a statement.
File photo shows Miho Nakayama during an interview in Tokyo in May 1998. (Kyodo)
Nakayama made her acting debut in 1985 with the television drama "Maido Osawagase Shimasu," and often starred in the "trendy dramas" from the 1980s to the 1990s that often featured romance and the trends at the time.
The actress, affectionately known as "Miporin," also launched her music career in 1985 with the single "C."
She quickly rose to popularity as an idol with numerous hit songs, including her 1986 single "Waku Waku Sasete." Her 1992 single "Sekaiju no Dare Yori Kitto" (Surely More Than Anyone in the World), in collaboration with rock band Wands, sold over 1.8 million copies.
Her 1994 hit "Tada Nakitaku Naruno" (I Just Want to Cry) also sold over a million copies.
Nakayama won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actress for her performance in "Love Letter," which also enjoyed great popularity in South Korea and elsewhere in East Asia.
Her former husband Hitonari Tsuji is a writer and musician.
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