นักร้องนำวง Zard เสียชีวิต

Singer Izumi Sakai has died after sustaining head injuries in a fall from the edge of a hospital building in Tokyo, her management agency has announced. Sakai, a member of the popular group ZARD, was 40.

Sakai fell about three meters from the slope outside Keio University Hospital in Tokyo's Shinjuku-ku, apparently after coming back from a walk. The slope was slippery due to rain.

A passerby found her lying on the ground at about 5:40 a.m. on Saturday. She had suffered head injuries, and was confirmed dead on Sunday.

Sakai underwent an operation to remove a uterine tumor in June last year. She had been staying at Keio University Hospital since April this year, after the cancer was found to have spread to her lungs, and treatment was going well, according to her agency.

Sakai made her debut in 1991 as a vocalist with ZARD with "Good-byeMyLoneliness." "Makenaide" (Don't give up), released in 1993, became a great hit and was used as background music for the opening parade of the National High School Baseball Tournament in the spring of 1994. The 1997 album "ZARD BLEND" sold 2.5 million copies.

"We hope that Izumi Sakai, along with her hit songs, will remain in the memory of her fans," an agency spokesman said.

Sakai was to release a new album of songs in autumn this year and was planning a concert tour.

Source Mainichi