was a Japanese singer-songwriter. His hit debut single "Jūgo no Yoru" and debut album ''Jūnanasai no Chizu'' were released in 1983. He died in 1992 at the age of 26.

Biography

Early life

Ozaki was born at Japan Self-Defense Forces Central Hospital in

Setagaya is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. It is also the name of a neighborhood and administrative district within the ward. Its official bird is the azure-winged magpie, its flower is the fringed orchid, and its tree is the '' Ze ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, to Kinue and Kenichi Ozaki. He had 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 Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

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.

Career

Ozaki 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 Group Corporation and is opera ...

in 1983. He debuted in December 1983 while he was still attending 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.

Death

On April 25, 1992, Ozaki was found naked, drunk and unconscious in a Tokyo residential site. 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 (British English: oedema), also known as pulmonary congestion, is excessive fluid accumulation in the tissue or air spaces (usually alveoli) of the lungs. This leads to impaired gas exchange, most often leading to shortness ...

but many theories have arisen as to the actual cause of death, the most popular being

homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...

. Stimulants were detected in his body. He was survived by his wife, Shigemi, and his son, Hiroya Ozaki.

Tribute covers

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, Kazumasa Oda,

Ryuichi Kawamura is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known as lead singer of the rock band Luna Sea since 1989. They are regarded as one of the most influential bands in the visual kei scene. After they disbanded in ...

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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, and actress. She released her debut album ''Out of the Blue (Debbie Gibson album), Out of the Blue'' (1987) at age 16, writing and largely producing the material. The a ...

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

Marty Friedman (born December 8, 1962) is an American guitarist, best known for his tenure as the lead guitarist of thrash metal band Megadeth from 1990 to 2000. He is also known for playing alongside Jason Becker in Cacophony from 1986 until 1989, as well ...

recorded an instrumental cover of "I Love You" in his 2011 album

Tokyo Jukebox 2 ''Tokyo Jukebox 2'' is the tenth studio album by the American guitarist Marty Friedman. Similar to the first cover album Tokyo Jukebox, this album is a collection of instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any voc ...

. Nanase Aikawa, Goto Maki, MINMI and Tomiko Van have covered "Oh My Little Girl".

Shunsuke Kiyokiba (born January 11, 1980, in Ube, Yamaguchi) is a Japanese pop singer who debuted in 2001 with the then six-member vocal and dance group, Exile, as their vocalist under the name, Shun. In 2004, he participated in the tribute album for Yutaka Ozak ...

also has covered two of his songs, and . Shimizu Shota covered his song, "Forget-Me-Not" and Mr. Children has covered on "ap' bank fes. 2010". In 2013, K-pop artist and main vocalist of

Big Bang The Big Bang is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models based on the Big Bang concept explain a broad range of phenomena, including th ...

Daesung Kang Dae-sung (; born April 26, 1989), better known mononymously as Daesung and his Japanese stage name D-Lite, is a South Korean singer who made his musical debut in 2006 as a member of the South Korean boy band Big Bang. He debuted as a solo ...

(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 Shiroi of

Momoiro Clover Z is a Japanese idol girl group, commonly abbreviated as MCZ or . The four members of MCZ are known for energetic performances, incorporating elements of ballet, gymnastics, and action movies. MCZ is notable for being the first female group to ho ...

, sang a cover of "Graduation" for a special concert.

Discography

Singles

*"Jūgo no Yoru" - ''The Night'' (15の夜, 1983) *"Jūnanasai 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

*''Jūnanasai 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) *''Gairojū'' - ''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.

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 Musicians from Setagaya 20th-century Japanese male singers 20th-century Japanese singer-songwriters