Japanese Frozen Actress Sayaka Kanda Dead at 35
The acting community has lost a bright star.
Singer, actress and anime star Sayaka Kanda, who voiced the role of Anna in the Japanese-dubbed version of Disney’s Frozen, died at the age of 35, a statement on her website confirmed. The message, written by Sayaka’s agency and translated into English, said that her “cause of death was polytrauma shock” due to an apparent fall.
According to Kyodo News, Sayaka—the daughter of actor Masaki Kanda and singer Seiko Matsuda—was found on Saturday, Dec. 18, “lying in an outdoor space on the 14th floor of the 22-story hotel” she was staying at in northern Japan. She was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. An investigation is currently underway.
The report, citing producers, states that Sayaka had been in rehearsals for the musical My Fair Lady on Friday, Dec. 17 but did not show up the following day for a performance. In her last post to Instagram on Nov. 17, Sayaka can be seen in costume for the production.
