The Japanese actress who starred in the original Japanese version of 'The Ring' has been found dead at the age of 40 by her husband in their home in Tokyo.
- September 28, 2020
AceShowbiz - Award-winning Japanese actress Yuko Takeuchi has been found dead.
Police have launched an investigation and suspect the mother of two took her own life, according to several local reports, after she was reportedly found dead by her actor husband Taiki Nakabayashi at her Tokyo home at the age of 40. Her death was confirmed at hospital.
Takeuchi was a well-known actress in Japan, having appeared in many films and TV series during her career. Known for starring in the hit NHK drama "Asuka" in 1999 and the 2001 TBS drama "Love and Life in the White", one of Takeuchi's earliest film roles came in 1998 J-horror "Ringu", which was famously adapted into Hollywood horror film "The Ring" in 2001.
In 2018, she starred as the leading role in Hulu and HBO's "Miss Sherlock" - a gender-reversed adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic detective series.
The mum-of-two also recently starred in "The Confidenceman JP: Princess", the second movie based on the popular Fuji Television drama.
Among her many accolades, Takeuchi notably won Best Actress in a Leading Role three years in a row, between 2004 and 2007, at the Japanese Academy Awards.
Yuko Takeuchi, 40, is survived by her husband and two children.
"It came all of a sudden, and we are all stunned and saddened by the news," her talent agency stated in the wake of her passing.
Her suspected suicide came after several Japanese talents took their own lives this year. Actress Sei Ashina died earlier this month, actor Haruma Miura in July, and wrestling star Hana Kimura in May.
