Singer/songwriter Utada Hikaru recently revealed that her maternal grandmother, 80-year old Sumiko Takeyama, had passed away on the 4th of November.

“I recently learned that my grandmother passed away,” said the singer on her official Twitter account. “I was often under her care as a child and I am indebted to her. Thank you, grandma. I did not get to offer incense for you and that is regrettable.”


There was a disagreement between Utada’s family and the family of Takeyama (the line from which Fuji Keiko, Utada’s mother, descended from). Keiko had fallen out with her mother due to financial reasons, and thus her family had neither seen her or Utada for nearly 20 years.

Takeyama passed away of liver cancer at a hospital in Tokyo. Our condolences go out to Hikki during this painful time.


source: tokyohive