Japanese singer, voice actor, and drag artist Akihiro Miwa died on June 20 at the age of 91 from natural causes, according to his website. “We are deeply grateful to everyone who showed him such exceptional kindness and warm support during his lifetime,” the statement read about the star, who used both she/her and he/him pronouns. A funeral was held in Tokyo with only family in attendance, and letters from fans were placed in Miwa’s coffin. Miwa, a Nagasaki native, was 10 years old during the atomic bombing of the city. As a teenager, Miwa moved to Tokyo to pursue a singing career. Miwa’s 1965 song, “Yoitomake no Uta,” became hugely popular in Japan after being performed at NHK’s annual New Year’s Eve music contest. Miwa began her acting career in theater but gained international recognition as a voice actor, most famously voicing characters for Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli films, including the Witch of the Waste in Howl’s Moving Castle and Moro the wolf in Princess Mononoke. Miwa also frequently appeared on the talk show Aura no Izumi from 2005 to 2009, with local reports claiming the program helped set off the country’s “spiritualism boom.”
Read it at Entertainment Weekly
