Kyu Sakamoto, born Hisashi Oshima - December 10, 1941 - August 12, 1985 - was a popular Japanese singer and actor. He was born in Kawasaki, Kanagawa prefecture as the youngest among 9 siblings and his parents; Hiroshi Sakamoto and Iku Sakamoto. His most popular song,
Ue o muite aruko ("Looking up while walking") known as
Sukiyaki in the US, was a hit in Japan and topped the Billboard pop charts in the United States in 1963 – to date the first and only song sung entirely in Japanese to do so. In 1985, Sakamoto was killed in the crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123. Befo…
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