Japanese comedian Ken Shimura has died from the coronavirus.
OduNews.com had earlier reported on March 25, 2020. that the performer had contracted the virus. He died on Sunday evening (March 29, 2020), as reported by the Japanese media. He was 70 years old.
Prior to his contracting COVID-19, Ken Shimura had been set for his first starring role in a feature film. He had entered a Tokyo hospital on March 20 with fever and pneumonia.
Shimura had been tested for the coronavirus and it had come out positive. He is the first prominent Japanese entertainment figure to die of the virus.
Born in Tokyo in 1950, Shimura had joined the Drifters, a comedy band, in 1974. He had been inspired by Jerry Lewis and was hardly subtle.
He had been cast in the lead role in the Yoji Yomada comedy God of Cinema. He had also been a regular on two network shows.
Japan has now confirmed 1,884 cases of COVID-19 (excluding the cases of those aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship). 1,408 remain active while 52 have died.
