Izumi Sakai
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Izumi Sakai (坂井泉水, born Kamachi Sachiko 蒲池幸子, 6 February 1967 – 27 May 2007) was a J-pop singer, and a member of the group Zard. She was born in Kanagawa prefecture, Japan.
She started out as Toei karaoke queen and CF campaign girl of Nihon Air System in 1989, and Nisshin race queen in 1990, and released her semi-nude photo book entitled "Nocturne", and a video entitled "Sexy Shooting". In 1991 she joined the 5 member group Zard as lead vocalist, however very soon the name Zard was almost synonymous with Izumi herself. She wrote almost all the lyrics for Zard's songs.
Death
Sakai died on May 27, 2007, after a fall down an emergency staircase at Keio University Hospital, where she was being treated for uterine cancer. She was hospitalized in June 2006 with cervical cancer and underwent an operation to remove the growth. But in April 2007, it was determined that the uterine cancer had spread to her lungs, resulting in her admittance to Keio University Hospital. According to police, the fall took place during a walk on the morning of May 26, 2007. Sakai was discovered at around 5:40 a.m. and taken to the emergency room, where she died the following afternoon. Police are investigating the possibility of suicide, but no note has yet been found. She had planned to release a new album in the fall, as well as her first live tour in three years.
See also
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