The legendary voice actress battled with pancreatic cancer since 2023.
Talent agency FEATHERED has announced that the voice actress Tomo Sakurai passed away last 13 August, 2025. Her official X (formerly Twitter) account also confirmed the news.
Sakurai was urgently hospitalised on 4 August due to a worsening of symptoms from multiple organ cancer. She was initially diagnosed with pancreatic cancer back in 2023, and had undergone extensive treatment to battle the disease. Sakurai’s condition did not improve during her hospitalisation, and she ultimately passed away.
A private funeral for close relatives will be held, and a farewell event for fans is being considered for a later date.
Sakurai was supposed to hold a solo concert titled “TOMO Summer 2025 Live” in Tokyo on 17 August, but had revealed the cancellation of the event on 10 August due to her emergency hospitalisation.
The statement on her X account further revealed that Sakurai was aiming for a full recovery, and was always working hard on her treatment.
Tomo Sakurai remembered for her enduring legacy in Japanese entertainment
Sakurai began her career as an actress and singer in 1993, and debuted as part of the idol group Lemon Angel at 17 years old. She branched from idol work to voice acting after her debut, with her most notable roles being:
- Marin–Akazukin Chacha (1994)
- Mylene Jenius–Macross 7 (1994)
- Makimachi Misao–Rurouni Kenshin (1996)
- Chigusa Sakai–Shakugan no Shana (2005)
- Mizuchi Saio–Yu-Giu-Oh! Duel Monsters GX (2006)
- Cynthia–Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl (2007)
- Hinowa–Gintama (2009)
Her last credited voice work was for the 2024 anime “Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again”, where she played the role of Kaede.
Besides voice acting in anime, Sakurai also worked on theatrical animation, Original Video Animation (OVA), video games, and audio drama. She also dubbed for a number of western live action movies and cartoons.
The industry mourns her loss.
