©Courtesy of Fuji TV and Nippon Herald Films

Miho Nakayama, a Japanese singer and actor, passed away at the age of 54. After gaining recognition with J-pop hits, the performer went on to win recognition for roles in films such as Love Letter. 

The musician and actor Miho Nakayama, who was most well-known for her dual role in the 1995 film Love Letter and her music career in the 1980s and 90s, has passed away at 54 years old. The Japan Times reported that Nakayama was found dead at her home in Tokyo on Friday. Although the cause of death is unknown, the Japan Times reported that her body was found in the bathtub and medical professionals confirmed her death.

Her management company Big Apple has released a statement saying: “It is with deepest regret that we have to make this sudden announcement to all those who have been involved with [Nakayama’s career] and to the fans who have supported her, but it has happened so suddenly that we are also stunned and saddened by the news. We are still in the process of confirming the cause of death and other details.”

Nakayama, who was born in 1970, became known for her successful Japanese pop singles and albums from the 1980s. These included C, Be-Bop High School, and Tsuiteru ne nature ne. Nakayama commenced her career as an actor in TV shows and films where her songs provided the themes, including two episodes in the Be-Bop High School series and the romantic comedy Who Do I Choose?

In the 1990s, she maintained her successful music releases, but started to emphasize slow-paced and ballad-oriented tracks like Midnight Taxi and Sekaij no Dare Yori Kitto. With Love Letter, she took on more challenging acting roles, and it was released internationally under the title When I Close My Eyes. Nakayama played the role of a woman who lost her fiance in an accident while also a mysterious character with a bizarre resemblance, which was a local and international box office hit and won the audience award at the Toronto International Film Festival. For her performance, she was named best actress at the following year’s Blue Ribbon Awards in Japan as well as the Hochi Film Awards.

Then, Nakayama took the lead in Tokyo Biyori (aka Tokyo Weather), a movie that depicts the life of Yoko Araki, the wife of photographer Nobuyoshi Araki, who documented their relationship together. In 1998, Nakayama received a nomination for a Japanese Academy Award for her startlingly intimate performance.

Over the course of her career, Nakayama recorded 22 studio albums and had eight No. 1 singles in Japan, including “Catch Me,” “You’re My Only Shining Star” and “Sekaijū no Dare Yori Kitto” (“Surely More Than Anyone in the World”). In total she starred in 14 films, the most recent being 2022’s Lesson in Murder, and dozens of series and TV movies.

In 2019, Nakayama released her first studio album in two decades and in the same year appeared in a small role in Iwai’s Last Letter.

Nakayama is survived by a son that she shares with her former husband, musician Hitonari Tsuji.