Miho Nakayama, a Japanese singer and actress best known for the 1995 romantic film “Love Letter,” was found dead in her Tokyo home on Friday. She was 54.

Nakayama’s team confirmed the news in a post on their website, writing: “We are deeply sorry to suddenly have to announce this to everyone involved who has always cared for her and to all the fans who have supported her, but this incident was.” so suddenly that we too are shocked and sad. We are currently investigating the cause of death and other details.”

According to the BBC, Nakayama was found dead in a bathtub by an acquaintance after she failed to show up for work. The friend called the paramedics, who pronounced her dead on the spot. She was scheduled to perform at a Christmas concert in Osaka on Friday but canceled her appearance due to health reasons.

Born on March 1, 1970 in Saku, Japan, Nakayama made her film debut in the 1985 series Maido Osawagase Shimasu, which made her an instant star. Shortly after, she released her first single “C” and then starred in the blockbuster film “Be-Bop High School.” Her work in film, television and music made her one of Japan’s most popular idols during a period of great success for the country’s cultural production in the ’80s and ’90s.

Her most notable film was the 1995 romance novel “Love Letter,” about a woman who mourns the death of her fiancé and enters into an unusual relationship with another woman who shares her late fiancé’s name. Nakayama played both roles in the film, which was a local and international box office hit and won the Audience Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. For her performance, she won Best Actress at the Blue Ribbon Awards in Japan and the Hochi Film Awards the following year.

Over the course of her career, Nakayama recorded 22 studio albums and had eight No. 1 singles in Japan, including “Catch Me,” “You’re My Only Shining Star” and “Sekaijū no Dare Yori Kitto” (“Surely More Than” ) “Everyone in the world”). In total, she appeared in 14 films, most recently in “Lesson in Murder” from 2022, as well as in dozens of series and television films.

Nakayama leaves behind a son whom she shares with her former husband, musician Hitonari Tsuji.

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