Japanese singer-songwriter Sayuri passes away at the age of 28

Japanese singer-songwriter Sayuri, known for singing theme songs for anime like Lycoris Recoil and Scum’s Wish, has sadly died at the age of 28.

Her spouse, fellow musician Amaarashi, shared the news on her X (formerly Twitter) account, stating that Sayuri passed away on September 20 (JST).

さユりに関するお知らせ pic.twitter.com/nmFo9YHUgJ

— 酸欠少女　さユり (@taltalasuka) September 27, 2024

In a repost (translated from Japanese), Amaarashi said that Sayuri had been grappling with an illness.

The note also went on to state that the star was laid to rest in a private funeral, in accordance with the wishes of her family. “In accordance with the wishes of her family, the funeral was held privately with only close relatives and acquaintances present. We sincerely thank you for your kind support of Sayuri during her lifetime, and we would like to pray for her eternal peace along with you.”

Sayuri started performing when she was a teenager. According to her Apple Music profile, she left high school to join the acoustic duo LONGTAL. In 2012, she won the Grand Prix at the Yamaha Music Revolution competition.

The singer had her big break in 2015 with the song “Mikazuki,” which was the ending theme for the show Rampo Kitan: Game of Laplace. In 2017, she released her first full album called Mikazuki no Kokai.

Besides “Mikazuki,” anime fans might recognize Sayuri’s unique voice from other songs, such as “It is like a small light” (the ending theme of Erased), “Moon & Bouquet” (the ending theme of Fate/EXTRA Last Encore), “Parallel Lines” (the ending theme of Scum’s Wish), “Sekai no Himitsu” (the ending theme of Edens Zero), and “Hana no Tou” (the ending theme of Lycoris Recoil). Sayuri also teamed up with MY FIRST STORY for the opening theme of Golden Kamuy Season 2, called “Dawn.”

Sayuri’s website describes the late artist as a “2.5D parallel singer/songwriter” who plays her acoustic guitar while singing. She is called the “Sanketsu-girl” (meaning hypoxia girl), representing a generation that feels both inferior and superior because their emotions and values differ from others.