Popular comedian and anime voice actor Sakarazuka Yakkun has been killed in a car accident. He was known for his comedic act of cross dressing as a school girl in a sailor uniform, as well as for being the voice actor of Takuto Kira in the anime Full Moon.
This is the latest in a series of tragedies that have made the news this week, including a woman who died trying to save a man who was lying on railway tracks, and a 6-year old girl being killed when her head struck a pipe as she looked through the sunroof of a moving car.
Netizens have taken to Twitter to express their shock at Yakkun’s premature death.
From Nikkan Sports:
“Sakarazuka Yakkun Killed In Car Accident
At around 4:50am on the 5th, on the Chugoku expressway outbound lanes at Higashiatsucho in Mine in Yamaguchi Prefecture, a station wagon collided into the median divider in a single car collision. Two men fell from the car and died thereafter.
According to the prefectural police, one of the dead was Sakurazuka Yakkun, the stage name of celebrity Saito Yasuo, a 37 year old from Sendagaya, Shibuya, Tokyo. They were travelling to Arao in Kumamoto Prefecture for a concert on October 6. The cause of death was myocardial infarction.
The other person killed was Sunamori Kotaro, a 55 year old from Miyukicho of Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Altogether there were five people in the car. Another two men injured their chest and shoulder and were transported to a hospital for minor injuries.
The site of the accident was the Mine Interchange (IC). The accident occurred within Mine Nishi at a right hand curve, and it was raining at the time. For about eight minutes from 5:15am, traffic on the outbound lanes of this section of the Chugoku Expressway was stopped.
Yakkun Sakarazuka became popular by dressing in a long sailor costume and holding a shinai [bamboo sword used in kendo], and interacting with the audience. From 2010 he formed a girl-band of cross-dressing men, and entered the world of music.
Comments from Twitter:
函館握手会全ツ参戦済 GBMR(^-^):
This is a shock… I pray you will find happiness in the next world.
病充0％人間_電柱:
I can’t believe this.
カハラ:
What, has Yakkun really passed away?
YUKAchan:
Please make everyone in heaven laugh as well.
かっちゃ:
I pray you will find happiness in the next world… two months ago, he came to my neighbourhood as a guest for the evening festival…
よーこ :
This is really sad.
クリス・ジン@大好きswallows:
The cause of death was heart rupture. Scary.
♡湘南乃風♡134♡:
Surely this is a joke??
リン@ＭＨ４おあずけ:
When I saw that Yakkun had died, I thought “has Yakkun really died!?” and when I googled it, this came up…
Heart rupture…that must be a painful way to die.
I saw his live show for the fire department, and he seemed like a good person.
（*＝ω＝）ぬこ／アクマリ＠ボンちゃん:
(´･ω･)(･ω･`)ﾈｰ I wonder if they changed drivers for this long distance drive… I wonder if they didn’t get money for their travelling expenses?
ぱちを:
I really liked him… I pray that you will find happiness in the next world.
こばゆき:
Poor thing
*♡ことみ♡*:
This is pretty shocking
*まーな* Yakkun Sakarazuka died in a traffic accident! Surely this is a lie!? I really liked him. This is too early.
AYANA:
Please pass this on to as many people as possible. This is sad.
あすか(きゅうり)＠11/22宮城:
I’m surprised that this isn’t a troll.
miu MKMDC:
I had goosebumps for about an hour after seeing on the news that Yakkun had died.
きぬ:
Absolutely regretful death. My condolences.
ko-ta♪:
What. This is cruel.
