The Japanese entertainment industry has lost another great woman as actress Kyoko Enami passed away on October 27 at age 76. Cause of death is due to pulmonary emphysema. The announcement of her passing was released by her agency on Friday.
Her agency shared that she had the illness for years and still continued to work as usual. She had upcoming radio dramas and television projects slated to release in November, December, and January.
She was recording a radio drama for NHK on October 22 then complained of her poor health on October 26 and admitted to the hospital. She then passed away on the 27th at 9:06pm. Her relatives have held a private funeral for her and only made the official announcement of her death after it was done.
Enami debut as a film actress on 1960 and was popular for her role in the film series Onna Tobakushi. She was awarded Kinema Junpo’s Best Leading Actress award in 1973 and the Tanaka Kinuyo Award in 2011 during the Mainichi Film Awards. She also played roles during the third season onwards of the live-action television adaptation of Gokusen.
Sources: Sports Hochi, Alpha Agency, My Game News Flash, Anime News Network.