Matsubara

Miki Matsubara

This is a sad story, because I kinda like this person. It is a sad and complicated situation.

https://youtu.be/QNYT9wVwQ8A?si=8bTnmsmRQc5gfTS7

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miki_Matsubara

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Her biggest hit song is about having a lover stay the night, even though he has someone to go home to. So far as I can tell.

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At the end of 2000, Matsubara sent an e-mail to her company, the members of Dr. Woo, and others stating, "I can no longer continue with my music for a certain reason. I am canceling my phone, cell phone, and email. So please do not reply. Please live your life without regrets." She stopped all music activities and disappeared from the spotlight altogether. She burned all her cherished sheet music and records. In an e-mail sent to her cousin at the time, she wrote, "Please forget all the times in the past when I was singing and composing."

In 2001, it was revealed that Matsubara's actions were prompted by a late-stage cancer diagnosis, after which she began treatment. She associated her career with the time when she became ill, so putting music behind her was in hopes of a new chance at life. She regretted her music career, wishing she had enjoyed life more instead of focusing solely on work. Matsubara returned to her parents' home and spent her final years battling her illness.

According to a Japanese documentary, further emails were sent to various people, including her cousin and husband. The next email sent to her cousin was "Please forget the time when I sang songs and composed music. I think my life style in this era brought me this disease. So I reset everything that prevents me from going forward. It reminds me of my weak point."

In the same documentary, her father reported that Matsubara said to him "I want to do many things, I'm still thinking of them. So I don't wanna die." Also from her father, despite the fact that Miki cut off all connections with music, while losing consciousness under anesthesia she mumbled about music. 

After being told by her doctor that she only had three months left to live, Matsubara died on 7 October 2004, at age 44, from complications of cervical cancer. Her death was announced to the public two months later.

At her funeral, her last email, written two months prior, was read. It read: "I realized many things for the first time after I was diagnosed. If possible, I want to be healthy and return the courtesies for them a lot, I want to be healthy and restart my life".

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I mean no disrespect to this person, and I like their song. And it’s a sad story. They have value. She seems really nice. I just want to help people to understand some aspects of culture as it pertains to public health, and the human impact.