The Nikkan Sports and Anime! Anime! news websites reported on Monday that composer and arranger Nozomi Aoki died on February 20. He was 94.
Folk singer Chiharu Matsuyama first announced the news on the Matsuyama Chiharu On the Radio radio program on March 8. Aoki arranged many of Matsuyama’s early songs in the late 70s.
Aoki was born on March 2, 1931.
He composed music for many entries in the Galaxy Express 999 franchise, including the original movie and television series, Galaxy Express 999: Can You Live Like a Warrior!!, Galaxy Express 999: Can You Love Like a Mother?, Galaxy Express 999: Emeraldas: The Eternal Warrior, The Galaxy Railways, The Galaxy Railways: A Letter from the Abandoned Planet, Ginga Tetsudō 999 ~Niji no Michishirube~, and Ginga Tetsudo Monogatari: Eien e no Bunkiten.
He arranged theme songs for such anime as Devilman, Obake no Q-Taro, Himitsu no Akko-chan, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, The Galaxy Railways, Galaxy Express 999: Glass no Clair, Swiss Family Robinson, Little Women, and Lady Georgie. He also composed the theme song for the Future War Year 198X film.
Aoki composed or arranged background music for such anime as Akuma-kun (the movie and TV series), Fist of the North Star and Fist of the North Star 2, Patalliro!, Unico in the Island of Magic, Harmagedon, Marco – From the Apennines to the Andes, Magical Taruruuto-kun, and Hai Step Jun.
Cover image via depositphotos.com
Sources: Nikkan Sports, Anime! Anime!
