Akihiro Miwa, Studio Ghibli Voice Actor and Singer, Dies at 91

Akihiro Miwa, one of Japan’s most celebrated entertainers and voice actors, has died at 91.

Miwa died June 20 at 9:30 a.m. from old age, according to Entertainment Weekly. Miwa’s management agency confirmed the news Sunday (June 28) through a statement on his official website, translated from Japanese to English.

“It is with great sadness that we announce that Akihiro Miwa, a singer and actor affiliated with our company, passed away peacefully at 9:30 a.m. on June 20 at the age of 91 due to old age,” the statement read. “We are deeply grateful to everyone who showed him such exceptional kindness and warm support during his lifetime.”

The agency added that with respect to Miwa’s wishes, his close family members held a private memorial service in Tokyo and disclosed a public gathering would not be scheduled.

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Born Akihiro Maruyama in Nagasaki on May 15, 1935, Miwa survived the atomic bombing of the city in 1945 at age 10. After relocating to Tokyo at 16 years old, Miwa developed himself as a performer, vocalist and drag entertainer. Miwa, who used he/him and she/her pronouns, got his start with the 1957 classic “Me Que Me Que.”

As an anime voice actor, Miwa solidified himself as a global icon. Director Hayao Miyazaki cast him as Moro, the mother wolf, in 1997 Studio Ghibli film Princess Mononoke and as the Witch of the Waste in 2005 movie Howl’s Moving Castle. Miwa also voiced Arceus in 2009 film Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life, following earlier anime roles as Froy in Harmagedon and the Queen of the Night in Maeterlinck’s Blue Bird.

Along with later narrating 2014 NHK drama series Hanako and Anne, Miwa was a published author and motivational figure, citing his experiences with discrimination and poverty. After suffering a stroke in 2019, the entertainer continued writing and making television appearances.

In 2018, Miwa was named an Honorary Citizen of Tokyo for, as Anime News Network reports, “demonstrating a way of life that transcended gender in post-war Japan, and for longstanding contributions in stage, film, television, lectures, and writing.”