was a rock and pop singer in Japan, born in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

Family background

Her father was a Japanese expatriate in the Soviet Union, while her mother was a Russian. The family moved to Japan when she was 11 years old, where she was subjected to repeated bullying. Bullied in elementary school and middle school, she attempted to commit suicide on multiple occasions. One time, when she was an elementary school girl, she broke both arm bones by herself, with the intention of skipping school. She used this as a stepping stone to enter the music industry.http://nosy-life.blogspot.com/2009/07/rock-singer-kawamura-kaori-dead-at-30.html

Career

She released her first single, "Zoo", at the age of 17 in 1988. She then made her debut with the album "Zoo" in 1988. In 1990 she had a hit with "Kamisama ga Oritekuru Yoru" and the following year with the often-covered "Tsubasa wo Kudasai." That year she made the first of several movie appearances in "Tokyo Kyujitsu." From the mid-1990s, she split her time between New York and Japan, and got involved in the club scene in the late 1990s. She married SOBUT guitarist Motoaki in 1999 and had a daughter in 2001, but they were soon separated.

Illness and death

In 2004, she was diagnosed with

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a r ...

, and became a spokeswoman for cancer activism. She and Motoaki divorced in 2007. In October 2008, she wrote on her blog that the cancer had returned and spread to her bones and lungs. That year she took on a busy schedule, performing concerts, publishing a book and releasing "K," her first original album in 13 years. She died from the disease in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

in 2009, aged 38. An Orthodox Christian, her panikhída (memorial service) was held on July 30, and her funeral the next day at the

Japanese Orthodox Church The is an autonomous Eastern Orthodox church within the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate. History Early Orthodox Christianity The first purpose-built Orthodox Christian church to open in Japan was the wooden Russian Consulate chapel of t ...

Holy Resurrection Cathedral , also known as , in Chiyoda, Tokyo, is the main cathedral of the Japanese Orthodox Church. History The founder of the Japanese Orthodox Church Ivan Dmitrievich Kasatkin (1836–1912), later St. Nicholas of Japan, was an archbishop who devo ...

. Her Christian name was

Anastasia Anastasia (from el, Ἀναστασία, translit=Anastasía) is a feminine given name of Greek origin, derived from the Greek word (), meaning "resurrection". It is a popular name in Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia, where it was the most ...

Discography

*''Zoo'' (1988) *''Campfire'' (1989) *''Hippies'' (1990) *''Church'' (1991) *''Weed'' (1992) *''Beata'' (1995) *''Banbita'' (1996) *''Kaori Kawamura Best Collection'' (2008) *''K'' (2009) *''Message: Last Live 2009.05.05'' (2010)

References

External links

Rock Singer Kaori Kawamura Dies of Cancer at 38
''Japan Today'', July 29, 2009. * - Bells of the cathedral after the funeral {{DEFAULTSORT:Kawamura, Kaori 1971 births 2009 deaths Deaths from cancer in Japan Deaths from breast cancer Japanese women pop singers Japanese women rock singers Russian and Soviet emigrants to Japan Singers from Tokyo Eastern Orthodox Christians from Japan 20th-century Japanese women singers 20th-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese women singers 21st-century Japanese singers