Lupin III Composer Yuji Ohno Dies at 84
Musician and composer Yuji Ohno died of natural causes on May 4. He was 84. His production company, Office Augusta, said he died after going to sleep with no change in his prior condition. A private funeral was held. Ohno is best known for his jazz scores for the Lupin III franchise. He first worked on the series in 1977 with Lupin III: Part II, the second television anime, and his opening theme became the series' signature, persisting through decades of television shows, specials, and films in his own arrangements. He performed the music in concert for years with his jazz group, originally called Yuji Ohno & Lupintic Five and later renamed Yuji Ohno & Lupintic Six. Ohno taught himself jazz in high school and played in a university light music band before forming a trio with drummer Hideo Shiraki and singer Yūzō Kayama. After the trio dissolved, he moved into composing for film and television. His 1977 film scores included Kon Ichikawa's The Inugami Family and Junya Satō's Proof of the Man. He also composed for Captain Future, Space Adventure Cobra, and the Daicon films made by the team that later founded Gainax.