Famous Japanese singer-actor Hideki Saijo died at the age of 63, on May 16 at around 11.53 pm in a hospital in Yokohama, Japan. Reports stated that the cause of the death was acute heart failure.
His agency said that Saijo was taken to the hospital near Tokyo on April 25, 2018, after falling unconscious at home, when he was with his family.
Saijo was born in Hiroshima City made his debut in 1972 when he was 17. He received appreciation for singing the Japanese version of the Village People's hit song "Y.M.C.A." that called "Young Man." A huge population of young women had become his followers because of his energetic singing style.
His fame was not limited to the homeland, as Saijo was equally popular in many other Asian countries. In 1988, he performed in a concert that took place just before the Seoul Olympics in South Korea and that concert made him the first Japanese singer to sing in his own language in Korea since the end of the world war two.
Ten years later, during an event in 1998 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Japan-China peace and friendship treaty, Saijo performed at the Great Wall of China.
But, in 2003, when his 85th single was to be released, he suffered a brain stroke and eight years later, in December 2011, the second stroke hit him. After that attack, he faced difficulties to talk and the right side of the body was paralyzed.
Such serious health issues also could not stop Saijo and he worked hard on his rehabilitation. He also performed on stage almost after 40 days from the second stroke but, he sang while sitting on a chair.
NHK reported that during a program, Saijo explained that he decided to keep performing because he wanted to make those people stronger, who suffered from similar health issues. The late singer also mentioned that he wanted to stay positive and work hard to improve his physical condition.
Several Twitter users have used the social media platform to tribute the legend.
