Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto has revealed that he is battling stage 4 cancer. He has won Oscar, BAFTA and Grammy awards for his ambient masterpieces and groundbreaking works within the discipline of electronic music. Even though his health is deteriorating, the veteran pianist has displayed immense strength and remained strong through his struggles.

According to the Japan Times, he revealed to the public in 2014 that he had throat cancer and in 2021 that he had rectal cancer. Stage 4 entails that the cancer has spread to other parts of his body and that the prognosis is poor.

Sakamoto detailed his diagnosis in a Shincho article titled “Living with Cancer.” In it, he revealed that he underwent surgery last October and December to remove cancer that had spread to both lungs. This was the first entry in a new series titled “How Many More Times Will I See the Full Moon?” that covers his work since 2009 as well as his perspective on life and death.

Despite the unfortunate news of his worsening condition, Sakamoto will  not be slowing down in his artistic endeavors. In a statement released during the launch of his article series, he said, “Since I have made it this far in life, I hope to be able to make music until my last moment, like Bach and Debussy whom I adore.”