Tragedy hit the J-pop world last weekend when Zard vocalist Sakai Izumi died in a bizarre accident at a hospital where she was undergoing cancer treatment. She was 40. She was first diagnosed with cancer of the womb last year and underwent surgery. She was recently readmitted to the Keio University hospital in Tokyo as the cancer had spread to her lungs. Early on Saturday morning she was returning from a walk in the hospital grounds when she fell from the landing of an external staircase and suffered a severe blow to her head. She received treatment but died of a cerebral contusion on Sunday afternoon. Real name Kamachi Sachiko, the singer, song writer and former race queen formed Zard in 1991 along with fellow members Machida Fumito (guitar), Hoshi Hiroyasu (bass), Michikura Kosuke (drums) and Ikezawa Kimitaka (keyboards). After their debut single, “Goodbye My Loneliness”, the band had their breakthrough hit with “Makenaide” in 1993, which was used as the theme tune for the spring high school invitational tournament that year. Though the band dwindled in number until it was just Sakai as a solo artist, she kept the band name and continued to have hits during the 90s, including “Mou Waserenai” and “In My Arms Tonight”. She was planning to release a new album this autumn and follow it up with just her second ever concert tour and the first in three years. A prolific artist with over 40 singles released, Zard was the No.1 best-selling female artist of the 90s and third overall.
• TBS revealed today that announcer Toyoda Ayano (30) recently married and is expecting a baby in December. She and her husband, a 38-year-old producer with the network, registered their marriage on May 20. Toyoda, a graduate of Sophia University, is a presenter on the “Evening Five” show.