Saturday, April 23, 2011

Yoshiko "Sue" Tanaka 1956-2011

Was extremely saddened to hear that Yoshiko Tanaka passed away from cancer the other day. Ever since discovering the magic of the Candies wonderful Seventies j-pop, she's been my favorite member of the group, and besides her singing, I'd been seeing her every week as Kuninaka Ryoko's mother in Churasan, so the news was quite a shock.  

Funny, out of the two great J-pop girl groups of the 70's, when it comes down to either Pink Lady or Candies, I've always sort of gravitated towards the latter, possibly because watching Ran, Sue and Miki always seemed like the inspiration for 80's trio ribbon! Investigating further, I was amazed by how much great songs they had! So many instantly catchy songs and sweet ballads, they were one of the first early j-pop groups I purchased on CD!

Below: In their Heyday, performing one of their many signature songs, 
Shochuu Omimai Moushiagemasu:
  In recent years as an actress, she's been pretty prolific playing the "loving mother of the young heroine" in many of my favorite dramas; it was such a thrill to see her in shows like Kamisama Sukoshi Dake (as Fukada Kyoko's Mother), Seigi No Mikata (as Yamada Yu and Shida Mirai's mother), Tatta Hitotsu no Koi (as Ayase Haruka's mother), and even Hitsudan Hostess as Kitagawa Keiko's Mom! And of course, I'm still currently watching her as Kuninaka Ryoko's mother in Churasan, and it will be nice to continue seeing her each day!
Above: Another fave song: Aishu No Symphony
A~ah, I'm watching some of my fave Candies video performances right now, and it's making me SO SAD! Such and awesome group, such a fine actress, Yoshiko Tanaka will surely be missed!