was a popular Japanese musician. He is ranked at No. 23 in a list of Japan's top 100 musicians by

HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...

Biography

He was born in Tokyo Setagaya Ward SDF Central Hospital to Kinue and Kenichi Ozaki. He has one older brother, Yasushi. Early in life, he was hospitalized with intestinal torsion and

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

which subsequently weakened his internal organs. In 1973 he began studying martial arts and continued training throughout his life. In January 1975 he began playing piano and in March of that year, he wrote his first poem. His first live performance was in 1978 at his school's cultural festival. He was discovered by producer Akira Sudo and signed to

CBS Sony , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation and is ...

in 1983. He debuted in December 1983 while he was still in high school with his hit single and his album . He gained tremendous support from his younger fanbase with his devastating live performances along with his unique lyrics that expressed dreams and love or the meaning of life. He represented the angst of adolescence, and a lot of the times attacked what he felt was unfair in society or schools. On April 25, 1992, Ozaki was found naked, drunk and unconscious in a Tokyo alleyway. He was taken by ambulance but was soon dismissed from the hospital. He died several hours later. The cause of death was reported as

pulmonary edema Pulmonary edema, also known as pulmonary congestion, is excessive liquid accumulation in the tissue and air spaces (usually alveoli) of the lungs. It leads to impaired gas exchange and may cause hypoxemia and respiratory failure. It is due t ...

but many theories have arisen as to the actual cause of death, the most popular being homicide. He was survived by his wife, Shigemi, and his son, Hiroya Ozaki.

Tribute covers

Relief of Yutaka Ozaki at Shibuya Cross Tower in Shibuya, Tokyo

Thelma Aoyama is a Japanese pop and R&B singer. She is part Afro-Trinidadian and Japanese. She is known for her collaboration song with SoulJa, "Koko ni Iru yo" and her answer song "Soba ni Iru ne". In September 2008, the Guinness World Records certified ...

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, Hikaru Utada,

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and many other Japanese artists have covered Ozaki's song, "I Love You". American singer-songwriter

Debbie Gibson Deborah Ann Gibson (born August 31, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Gibson released her debut album '' Out of the Blue'' in 1987, which spawned several international hits, later being certified triple plati ...

recorded an English-language cover of "I Love You" in her 2010 album '' Ms. Vocalist''. In addition, American guitarist

Marty Friedman Marty Friedman (born December 8, 1962) is an American guitarist, best known for his tenure as the lead guitarist for thrash metal band Megadeth from 1990 to 2000. He is also known for playing alongside Jason Becker in Cacophony from 1986 unti ...

recorded an instrumental cover of "I Love You" in his 2011 album Tokyo Jukebox 2. Nanase Aikawa, Goto Maki, MINMI and

Tomiko Van , is a Japanese pop singer and occasional actress. She is as a member of the band Do As Infinity (DAI), along with Ryo Owatari and Dai Nagao, that has resumed activities after their 2005 split. Career Do As Infinity Beginnings as solo a ...

have covered "Oh My Little Girl". Shunsuke Kiyokiba also has covered two of his songs, and .

Shimizu Shota is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician from Yao, Osaka, Japan, who debuted in 2008. On June 1, 2008, Shimizu performed at Central Park in New York City, USA, during the annual Japan Day Festival. Shota Shimizu went to a local Christian scho ...

covered his song, "Forget-Me-Not" and

Mr. Children , commonly referred to by their contracted nickname , are a Japanese pop rock band formed in 1989. Consisting of Kazutoshi Sakurai, Kenichi Tahara, Keisuke Nakagawa, and Hideya Suzuki, they made their major label debut in 1992. They are one of t ...

has covered on "ap' bank fes. 2010". In 2013, K-pop artist and main vocalist of Big Bang, Daesung (known in Japan as "D-Lite") covered "I Love You" and it was used as the theme song for the drama ''I Love You''. In 2014, Tamai Shiori of Momoiro Clover Z, sang a cover of "Graduation" for a special concert.

Discography

Singles

*"Jugo no Yoru" - ''The Night'' (15の夜, 1983) *"Junanasai no Chizu" - ''Seventeen's Map'' (十七歳の地図, 1984) *"Hajimari-sae Utaenai" - ''Can't Sing Even the Beginning'' (はじまりさえ歌えない, 1984) *"Sotsugyou" - ''Graduation'' (卒業, 1985) *"Driving All Night" (1985) *"Kaku" - ''Core'' (核, 1987) *"Taiyō no Hahen" - ''Scratch of the Sun''(太陽の破片, 1988) *"Love Way" (1990) *"Tasogare-yuku Machi-de" - ''57th Street'' (黄昏ゆく街で, 1990) *"Eien no Mune" - ''Eternal Heart'' (永遠の胸, 1991) *"I Love You" (1991) *"Kegareta Kizuna" - ''Bond'' (汚れた絆, 1992) * (1994) – posthumously released

Albums

*''Juunanasai no Chizu'' - ''Seventeen's Map'' (十七歳の地図, 1983) *''Kaikisen'' - ''Tropic of Graduation'' (回帰線, 1985) *''Kowareta Tobira kara'' - ''Through the Broken Door'' (壊れた扉から, 1985) *''Gairoju'' - ''Trees Lining a Street'' (街路樹, 1988) *''Tanjou'' - ''Birth'' (誕生, 1990) *''Hounetsu e no Akashi'' - ''Confession for Exist'' (放熱への証, 1992)

Compilations

*''Aisu-beki Mono Subete-ni'' - ''For All My Loves'' (愛すべきものすべてに, 1996) *''Artery & Vein – The Very Best of Yutaka Ozaki'' (1999) *''13/71 – The Best Selection'' (2004)

Live albums

*''Last Teenage Appearance – The Myth of Yutaka Ozaki'' (1987) *''Yakusoku no Hi Vol.1'' – ''The Day vol.1'' (約束の日 Vol.1, 1993) *''Yakusoku no Hi Vol.2'' – ''The Day vol.2'' (約束の日 Vol.2, 1993) *''Missing Boy'' (1997) *''Osaka Stadium on August 25 in 1985 Vol.1'' (1998) *''Osaka Stadium on August 25 in 1985 Vol.2'' (1998)

Movie

A 2011 TV-drama called ''Kaze no Shounen'' portrayed his life and in depth early career, from meeting his manager Sudo to his death. He was played by

Hiroki Narimiya (born September 14, 1982), better known as , is a former Japanese actor. Early life He was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. His parents are from Okinawa Prefecture. His parents divorced when he was young, and in his third year of junior high sch ...

References

External links

Yutaka Ozaki Official Site

Yutaka Ozaki - Sony Music Records

Yutaka Ozaki English Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ozaki, Yutaka 1965 births 1992 deaths Japanese male singer-songwriters Japanese male rock singers People from Setagaya 20th-century Japanese male singers 20th-century Japanese singers