Famous Japanese actress, Sayaka Kanda, who voiced the role of Anna in Disney’s blockbuster animated musical, Frozen, has been found dead at the age of 35.
Sayaka, who lent her voice to the Japanese-dubbed version of Frozen, was found dead after an apparent fall on Dec 18, a statement in her website confirmed. The film fraternity is now mourning the loss of a very bright star.
The statement written by Sayaka’s agency, translated into English, said that her “cause of death was polytrauma shock” due to the fall.
According to Kyodo News, the actress was found “lying in an outdoor space on the 14th floor of the 22-story hotel” in northern Japan. She was immediately taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. A thorough investigation is underway.
Kyodo reported that Sayaka was at rehearsals for the musical, My Fair Lady, on Friday, Dec 17 – but did not show up the next day for a performance. In her latest post on Instagram, the actress can be seen dressed in a costume for the production.
Sayaka was the daughter of actor Masaki Kanda and singer Seiko Matsuda. Her Frozen co-star, who voiced Elsa, Takako Matsu posted that she was “speechless” and added, “The time we spent together is an irreplaceable treasure for me.”
There was an outpouring of tributes from the actress’ fans on social media after the news of her death emerged.
Sayaka’s career was set to soar, with a number of voice-over roles booked. TV series Convenience Store Boy Friends and Star Blazers 2202 were among them.
Recently, Sayaka voiced the character of Mana Nagase in the 2021 TV series Idoly Pride.
