Yuji Ohno, composer for the Lupin III anime series since its inception in 1978, passed away on May 4. He was 84 years old.
The sad news was relayed via Ohno's official website by his record label Office Augusta earlier today. In the statement, Augusta clarified that there was no particular cause of death and that the composer had passed away peacefully in his sleep. A funeral for family and friends has already been held, but there will be an opportunity for fans to share their condolences at a later date.
Moreover, an 'all star' live concert featuring Ohno, his Lupintic Five band and Fujikochans singers on May 30 at the Tokyo Billboard festival will go ahead as planned. It turns out that Ohno already drawn up plans for his passing beforehand, given his advanced age. A birthday event was said to be part of the proceedings, but presumably this will now be a section dedicated to Ohno's memory.
While Ohno is most well known for Lupin III, he also worked on many other television shows and even produced his own material. It goes without saying that without Ohno, the Lupin III anime would not be as iconic nr as long-lasting as it is today, but tying his legacy entirely to the master thief feels a bit restrictive. All you had to do was see him live in concert to truly see how talented he was.
Monkey Punch, original creator of Lupin III, also passed away in 2019. Ohno's last contribution to the franchise was the soundtrack for Lupin III VS Cat's Eye, a special that aired in 2023 exclusively on Prime Video.
