Ryuichi Sakamoto of Japan, who wrote the music for the movie "The Last Emperor," passes away at age 71.

Ryuichi Sakamoto, a Japanese composer who created the eerie score for "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" and won an Oscar for the film "The Last Emperor" in 1987, has passed away at the age of 71.

His passing was reported by his management group on March 28. He had recently received cancer treatment.

As stated in a statement, "Art is long, life is short. We would like to share one of Sakamoto's favorite quotes: "Ars longa, vita brevis."

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The composer, who was born in 1952 in Tokyo, Japan, grew up listening to both Bach and The Beatles, as well as other classical greats.

He co-founded the influential electronic band Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978, where he played keyboard.

The group would go on to enjoy success on a global scale, and it is widely believed that their innovative use of synthesizers contributed to the emergence of genres like house and techno.

The soundtrack work of Sakamoto, however, is what made him most well-known and earned him many accolades.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence's 1983 film score was composed by Sakamoto, who also won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for "The Last Emperor." He was known for his anti-nuclear views and campaigned against a now-repealed Japanese law that forbade dancing after midnight or 1 a.m.

He worked continuously until his later years, including the score for the 2015 movie "The Revenant." in open spaces. A funeral service was held with close family members, and tributes to Sakamoto poured in on social media, with US author Frederick Joseph calling his music "the score of many of my life moments" and Japanese actor Haruka Abe tweeting that it "will live on forever."