Ryuichi Sakamoto’s management has shared the final playlist the composer made before his death at the end of March, writing that Sakamoto was “with music until the very end”. The playlist is simply titled ‘funeral’, and was played at the composer’s funeral.
“We would like to share the playlist that Ryuichi had been privately compiling to be played at his own funeral to accompany his passing,” Sakamoto’s management wrote in a short statement on social media. “He truly was with music until the very end.”
Appropriately, the playlist is a gorgeous and varied collection of tracks – featuring compositions from DeBussy, Bach, and Ravel, along with works by Ennio Morricone and Sakamoto’s longtime collaborator Alva Noto. It closes with a Laurel Halo track, ‘Breath’.
Sakamoto died at the age of 71 following a battle with colon cancer, which he’d been diagnosed with in 2020. “We would like to express our deepest gratitude to his fans and all those who have supported his activities,” his management wrote in the statement announcing his death.
“In accordance with Sakamoto’s wishes, the funeral service was held among his close family members.”
Sakamoto was a hugely influential composer, who began working in the ’70s in the Tokyo scene. Alongside Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, Sakamoto would found Yellow Magic Orchestra, which would massively impact the course of electronic pop music.
Further Reading
Ryuichi Sakamoto, Composer and Electronic Music Pioneer, Has Died at 71
Yukihiro Takahashi, Yellow Magic Orchestra Dummer And Vocalist, Dies Aged 70
Fuzzy Haskins, Original Parliament-Funkadelic Member, Has Died at 81
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