Kouji Wada, who sang the ultimately adored theme song ‘Butter-Fly’ in Digimon, passed away due to nasopharyngeal carcinoma, according to Wada’s agency Solid Vox. He was 43.
Solid Vox said his family will hold a private service while the agency will organize a ‘Wada Kouji Owakare no Kai’ (Kouji Wada Farewell Event) event for his bereaved fans in Tokyo.
In 2003, a malignant tumor was discovered in Wada’s upper pharynx and a lymph node on his neck but he later regained his strength by chemotherapy. However, his health took a dive when a tumor was found on him in 2011, freezing his singing career. In 2013, he resumed his fluctuating singing career. He died on April 3.
The capstone of Wada’s career was when he sang all of the soundtracks of the popular Japanese virtual game and series Digimon. His first release was 1n 1999 when he recorded his single ‘Butter-Fly’ for Digimon Adventure. Since then, he provided the soundtracks for Digimon Adventure 2, Digimon Tamers, Digimon Frontier, Digimon: Data Squad, and Digimon Xros Wars. He also performed the opening number for the Japanese version of Transformers: Robots in Disguise.
His 10th-anniversary album, Kazakami no Oka Kara, was a big success in Japan. He also performed at concerts in Brazil and other Latin American countries. Gianna Francesca Catolico, INQUIRER.net