Ichiro Mizuki Passes Away

Veteran anison singer Ichiro Mizuki passed away on December 6th, his management agency Yellow Bird has announced. He was 74.

Following an uncertain start to his recording career in the late ‘60s, including an unsuccessful debut single and a stint as a nightclub singer, Mizuki rebounded in 1971 when he sang Genshi shonen Ryu ga yuku, his first opening theme song for an anime TV series.

The ‘anison’ genre largely defined the next 51 years of his career, although he was similarly prolific in the field of live-action 'tokusatsu' shows. His many credits include theme songs for two early iterations of the "Kamen Rider" franchise: "Kamen Rider X" and "Kamen Rider Stronger".

In 2000, he co-founded anison supergroup JAM Project, serving as an active member until 2002. Despite being diagnosed with lung cancer in April 2021, Mizuki went on recording and performing, playing his final show just ten days before his passing.

JaME would like to extend our condolences to Mizuki's family, friends and colleagues.