Ryū Murakami: key obituary facts
Is Ryū Murakami dead? Yes. Ryū Murakami died on October 23, 2026, at age 74.
Cause of death: Ryū Murakami's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Ryū Murakami known for?
He was a Japanese writer and filmmaker.
More about Ryū Murakami
Born: 19 February 1952.
Place of birth: Sasebo.
Gender: male.
Occupation: writer, screenwriter, novelist, film director, essayist, science fiction writer.
Nationality: Japan.
Education: Musashino Art University.
Employer: G2010.
Awards: Gunzou Prize for New Writers, Akutagawa Prize, Noma Literary New Face Prize, Hirabayashi Taiko Prize, Yomiuri Prize, Tanizaki Prize, Noma Literary Prize, Mainichi art award.
Also known as: Ryūnosuke Murakami, Ryu Murakami, Ryuu Murakami.
Occupations: Novelist, essayist, filmmaker.
Ryū Murakami, the Japanese novelist whose books included *Almost Transparent Blue*, *Audition* and *In the Miso Soup*, died October 23, 2026, aged 74.
Born Ryūnosuke Murakami in Sasebo, Nagasaki, on February 19, 1952, he attended school there and later studied at Musashino Art University. His novels examined human nature through disillusionment, drug use, surrealism, murder and war, often set against a bleak portrait of Japan.
Among his best-known works are *Coin Locker Babies* as well as the three novels named above. Murakami also worked as an essayist, screenwriter and filmmaker. As a high school student, he played drums in Coelacanth, a rock band he formed with fellow students. In the summer of his third year, he and other students barricaded the school rooftop, an episode that led to three months of house arrest. During that period, he encountered hippie culture, which influenced him. His honors included the Gunzo Prize for New Writers, the Akutagawa Prize, the Yomiuri Prize and the Tanizaki Prize, among other literary awards.