Japanese actress Sayaka Kanda, who played the character of Anna in Disney’s Japanese dub “Frozen”, has died. She was 35 years old.
Kanda was found unconscious around 1 p.m. Saturday outside her hotel in Sapporo, northern Japan. She was taken to the hospital but could not be saved.
Representatives for the late actress believe she fell from her room on the 14th floor of the 22-story hotel, local publication Kyodo News reported.
Police are investigating the case as likely suicide, but have yet to rule out foul play, the outlet added.
The actress had attended a rehearsal for a performance of the musical “My Fair Lady” as recently as Friday, but missed a rehearsal on Saturday, her producers noted.
“I would like to report to everyone who has supported Sayaka Kanda so far. Kanda Sayaka (35) died suddenly at 9.40 p.m. on December 18, 2021, ”Kamaichi Mitsuhisa, CEO of the Kanda Robe Co. agency, wrote in a statement according to Yahoo. “We are so sorry to report such a report to all the fans who have supported us and to all the people who took care of us.”
In addition to the Japanese adaptation “Frozen”, Kanda was also known for her voice roles in the video games “Kingdom Hearts II” and “Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony”. A second-generation performer, she was the daughter of 70-year-old actor Masaki Kanda and 59-year-old singer Seiko Matsuda.
Kanda’s career began at the age of 20 when she started performing in musicals. She was due to play Maetel in the musical “Galaxy Express 999” next April, according to Kyodo.
Takako Matsu, who starred alongside Kanda in the Japanese dub “Frozen” as Elsa, said the news of Kanda’s death had left her “speechless,” according to Yahoo.
“[The] the time we have spent together is an irreplaceable treasure for me.
