Famed composer Shunsuke Kikuchi died on April 24 at the age of 89.
Kikuchi passed away due to aspiration pneumonia and was undergoing treatment at the time of his death. His close family members held a private funeral.
Born in Aomori Prefecture in 1931, Kikuchi started composing music in 1961. Over the course of his career, he received multiple awards, including the Award of Merit at the 2013 Tokyo Anime Awards and the lifetime achievement award in the 57th Japan Record Awards in 2015.
Kikuchi's major works include composing themes for the Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z franchise, with a contribution of over 400 pieces. He also composed the "Let's Go!! Rider Kick" theme for the first Kamen Rider series, which launched one of the most iconic Tokusatsu franchises. Rounding out Kikuchi's work is the "Doraemon no Uta," or "Doraemon’s Song," for Doraemon, which is considered one of the most iconic anime openings in history. He has also worked on numerous anime series, including Getter Robo and Dr. Slump, with the latter created by Dragon Ball Z's Akira Toriyama.
Kikuchi's work also spread to the realm of live-action, and "Urami Bushi," which he composed in 1972, was used on the soundtrack for Kill Bill: Vol. 2.
Source: Oricon, via Anime News Network
