Prolific Japanese voice actress Atsuko Tanaka died on Tuesday, August 20th, 2024 following a year-long battle with an unspecified illness according to a heartfelt letter posted to social media by her son Hikaru.
Accompanying the statement was a photo of Hikaru with his mother Atsuko (pictured left at top). A translation of the letter from Japanese to English is below.
To everyone who has always supported me.
On August 20th, 2024, my mother, voice actress Atsuko Tanaka, passed away.On behalf of Atsuko Tanaka herself, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all the fans who lover and to all the people in the industry who helped her during her lifetime.
It is with great sadness that we have to announce our parent-child relationship in this way.
Per her wishes, we will not disclose the specific name of her illness, but even during her nearly year-long battle with illness, she seemed to have lived a life that was so typical of Atsuko Tanaka – earnest, dignified, and a little bit playful.
I am truly blessed to have such a great mother.
Finally, please do not forget the works that Atsuko Tanaka was so sincerely involved in, the characters that she poured her love into, and the voice actress that is Atsuko Tanaka.
With love to my respected actress/voice actress and beloved mother.
Tanaka was born in 1962 in Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture, and moved to Tokyo study voice acting. Her first roles were recorded in 1993, going on to star in multiple anime and video games series, most famously as Motoko Kusanagi in Ghost in the Shell, Konan in Naruto Shippuden, Lisa Lisa in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and Bayonetta in Bayonetta, as some of her more notable work.
Atsuko Tanaka was 61 years old.
Source: @HikaruTanaka_va
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