The acting community has lost a bright star.
Singer, actress and anime star Sayaka Kanda, who voiced the role of Anna in the Japanese-dubbed version of Disney's Frozen, died at the age of 35, a statement on her website confirmed. The message, written by Sayaka's agency and translated into English, said that her "cause of death was polytrauma shock" due to an apparent fall.
According to Kyodo News, Sayaka—the daughter of actor Masaki Kanda and singer Seiko Matsuda—was found on Saturday, Dec. 18, "lying in an outdoor space on the 14th floor of the 22-story hotel" she was staying at in northern Japan. She was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. An investigation is currently underway.
The report, citing producers, states that Sayaka had been in rehearsals for the musical My Fair Lady on Friday, Dec. 17 but did not show up the following day for a performance. In her last post to Instagram on Nov. 17, Sayaka can be seen in costume for the production.
After news of Sayaka's death emerged, fans and fellow stars took to social media to pay tribute to her. Kyodo News reports that Takako Matsu, who worked opposite Sayaka as the voice of Elsa in the Japanese version of Frozen, posted that she was "speechless" and added, "The time we spent together is an irreplaceable treasure for me."
In addition to Frozen, Sayaka booked a number of other voice-over roles over the years, working on the TV series Convenience Store Boy Friends and Star Blazers 2202.
Recently, Sayaka voiced the character Mana Nagase in the 2021 TV series Idoly Pride.