entertainment

Former singer Keiko Fuji, mother of Hikaru Utada, falls to death

43 Comments

Keiko Fuji, a former well-known enka singer and the mother of singer Hikaru Utada, fell to her death from a 13th-floor apartment in Tokyo on Thursday in what media are calling a suspected suicide.

According to police, Fuji, 62, wearing a T-shirt and short pants, was found lying on the grounds of her apartment building in Shinjuku Ward at around 7 a.m., NTV reported. She was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead. Police said Fuji lived in the apartment with a male friend in his 30s who was asleep at the time of the incident. Her slippers were found near the railing on the balcony, police said, adding that no suicide note was found.

Fuji made her singing debut in 1969. She won the "mass popularity award" at the Japan Record Award in 1970, and was known for such hits as "Keiko no Yume wa Yoru Hiraku" and "Onna no Blues." She retired from singing in 1979 and relocated to the United States where she lived for several years.

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43 Comments
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RIP.

Poor Hikaru. I don't think she's had an easy life with her parents being famous and having a rather bizarre upbringing - add in cancer, a young marriage, a divorce and now this. I do recall her mom a few years ago being caugh by US customs with hundreds of thousand of dollars on her at an airport and being arrested. I always thought that there was something to her, be it depression, issues with drinking... Suicide is never the answer and I don't get why more isn't done here to help those that need help.

7 ( +12 / -5 )

So sad

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Keiko no Yume wa Yoru Hiraku was my favorite song. May her soul rest in peace.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Wow this is so weird, I just started getting into Enka and listened to her tracks for the first time just last night on youtube. Very sad news, her music is amazing.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Poor Hikaru, feel sorry for her and her family.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

she has a lot of issues and addiction I heard...particularly gambling. Its not an easy life for all, death is not the answer.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

So sad.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Rest in Peace, Keiko-san.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

RIP

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Jeez, that's rough. Sounds like despite the fame and fortune in terms of both money and family she had a lot of problems. Very sad end. RIP.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

How terrible for everyone concerned - a very sad story.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Her debut single was "Shinjuku no Onna" and she ended her life there.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

RIP

She did some wild things I remembered hearing in the news. Like marrying and divorcing the same man 7 times and being arrested in the airport for carrying 400grand in her carry-on luggage.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

For her, death was the answer, it seems. At least she leaves a fine legacy of music behind. It's a shame she could not find some sort of balance and peace in the short time we all have as living souls on this planet.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Here's a youtube link to one of her songs if you want to listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs99UdY225o

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Fuji Keiko (a.k.a Abe Junko) is the greatest female enka singer that Japan has ever produced. Even the B-sides, like Hitotsu to Se, were fantastic. Onna no Blues was the song of my youth. Keiko no Yume ha Yoru Hiraku was unforgettable. Shinjuku no Onna mesmerized all of Japan.

Thank you Keiko, for a fantastic, unforgettable singing career! You stopped singing too soon, and you have left us too soon.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Is it all wrapped up in terms of this being a suicide? The himo (that's what they're called, right, young guys who have a sugar mommy) was definitely asleep and didn't push her?

Was she ill, and jumping to get away from it?

Seems like it might not be a done and dusted investigation yet...

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

It's odd to call it a suicide without a note. The media are calling it a suspected suicide, so what do the police say?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

The best way to remember a creator is to remember her/his creation. Does anybody have the English lyrics of Keiko Fuji's version of "A Dream Opens at Night" ("Yume wa Yoru Hiraku")?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

I am a very huge fan of Utada Hikaru and I am very sad to hear that her mother has passed away. My condolences goes out to Utada Hikaru. It must be very sad day for her.

May Utada's mother Rest In Peace & May God Watch Over Her The Rest Of Her Life. T_T

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

English lyrics yume-wa-yoru-hiraku-keiko-fuji

http://www.natsumelo.com/2012/04/keiko-no-yume-wa-yoru-hiraku-keiko-fuji-1970/

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Higashi, thank you very much for finding this page.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

It's a sever case of mental issue that links suicide. Unless the disease is not found, then there will be no cure for it and more suicides and muders and child abuse. Normal people with normal minds will not even entertain such thoughts if they dint have a chemical imbalance in their heads of s e sort. It can be diagnosed by MRI and a blood test to check levels of serotonin and dopamine which are both essential when balanced. When you go to a seishinka for a talk with a doctor here, they will only prescribe you with antidepressant, that's the main. Which is the worst..long talks through counseling should be provided first before prescribing some meds. This is my observation having to have lived in Japan for more than 30 years. I've had worst situations anyone can't imagine but with a clear mind, a good upbringing, my values are set though not every bit of it was easy... Up until now!

0 ( +2 / -2 )

R.I.P... however , She's with a 30s male aqcuaintance Sleeping!?!? ... No Suicide Notes??? J-cops motto ganbare yo!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

My Heart goes out to Hikaru Utada. I hope the cops investigate the matter.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

The himo (that's what they're called, right, young guys who have a sugar mommy) was definitely asleep and didn't push her?

Why would he push his meal ticket out the windows? The woman had a very strange history - gambling, mental illness... A shame that even rich and famous people can't find the help they need.

-8 ( +0 / -8 )

Rest in Peace to Fuji Keiko and a profound symphaty to Utada Hikaru and all their family. I like her Japanese songs in 60s and 70s.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

RIP Keiko. So be it fans.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

I feel really bad for both Utada / Abe families for what they're dealing with now. It's sad when someone feels the need to end their life so soon. I guess Junko Abe (Keiko Fuji's real name) was going through a lot at that time. I hope Hikaru and her father give the support that each other really needs right now.

RIP Junko.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Well, tmarie, I could think of a million reasons, couldn't you?

maybe he really liked her and was jealous of another guy? she said she'd break up, and no more meal ticket? it was an accident, and he lied and said he was asleep to save hikself trouble, making it suicide? she was abusing him mentally or emotionally (or physically) somehow and he snapped? he was on drugs? Or, maybe just he was the one that was mentally unstable?

(I didn't thumbs dn you btw).

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

I am so sorry to hear this news that Hikaru's mother passed away and can't imagine how painful it is for her. Having lost someone as special as your mother is a difficult moment of life. My deepest sympathies to Hikaru and her loved ones. Please be strong. My thoughts and prayers are with her at this sad time and may God provide her with the strength she needs to cope with this difficult situation.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I doubt it. If that was the case, she wouldn't be sleeping over.

She has a case of mental illness. Hate to say it but I thought it was just a matter of time - thought this since she was arrested in the US years ago.

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

That is a bold statement, Mizuame. The best ever? Misora Hibari, Shimakura Chiyoko, Miyako Harumi, and my personal favorite, Kobayashi Sachiko are all very accomplished !

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

thought this since she was arrested in the US years ago.

You thought she was "mentally ill" for carrying 400K in her suitcase?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

No thought her time was limited on earth. Though now that you mention it, no normal person carries that much cash on them. More so when flying.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

she is not a normal person. she is a mother of one of the most famous and successful superstar in japan. you cant possibly compare her to average joe. and when you become famous, there is often a baggage added to their lives. and she is far from being a nutcase for committing suicide in east asian countries when japan and korea have one of the highest suicide rates in the world.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

"My Sad Heart Wants To Escape To Heaven" is my favorite song of hers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z165JuxnkV0&lch=email&feature=em-comment_received&lc=_psNRVEqid5uIkXksssfF9ekt1NhxA_G8lvOIYGPZhY RIP little girl...

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Talents are leeched onto by promoters who overwork them & loan sharks who egg them on in ostentation. Suicide when they want out of all the vertigo?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

she is not a normal person. she is a mother of one of the most famous and successful superstar in japan.

She was famous in her own right and long before Utada came along.

No one is claiming she was a "nutcase".

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

it seems the impact of her death has made quite an impression.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

That is a bold statement, Mizuame. The best ever?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keiko_Fuji

She topped the Oricon album chart for a 37 consecutive weeks, an incredible record in Japan's music history. Her debut album's number-one record of 20 consecutive weeks remains the longest consecutive number-one record in Oricon history.[1]

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

A coldly "actually I never loved you" after a quarrel is enough to cause a jump.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

RIP

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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