Heartbroken parents of Japanese Frozen actress who fell to her death from a hotel hold her ashes after she is cremated as they ‘say goodbye’ as police investigate suspected suicide
- Sayaka Kanda, 35, was found outside of the 22-storey hotel she was staying in
- The stage and voice actress was cremated in the city of Sapporo on Tuesday
- Her celebrity parents Actor Masaki Kanda, 71, and singer Seiko Matsuda, 59, were pictured on Tuesday holding a pink urn containing Ms Kanda’s ashes
The Japanese actress who voiced Anna in Japan’s dubbed version of ‘Frozen’ was cremated on Tuesday, three days after she died falling from her hotel room.
The celebrity parents of Sayaka Kanda, 35, were pictured on Tuesday after the ceremony holding a pink urn containing the ashes of their only child, and briefly spoke to the media in Sapporo.
‘We said goodbye, and only closest family members attended,’ her father and actor Masaki Kanda, 71, said.
Speaking in a trembling voice, singer Seiko Matsuda, 59, thanked the press for attending despite the cold weather, before the pair bowed and left.
Pictured: Actor Masaki Kanda, right, and singer Seiko Matsuda speak to the media after the cremation of their daughter and actress Sayaka Kanda, on December 21, 2021 in Sapporo, northern Japan
Japanese actress Sayaka Kanda, who voiced Anna in Japan ‘s dubbed version of ‘Frozen’, was cremated on Tuesday, three days after she died falling from her hotel room
Kanda and Matsuda divorced when their daughter was just 10 years old.
Ms Kanda was found on the ground in an outside area on the 14th floor of the 22-storey hotel where she was staying in Sapporo at 9.40pm on December 18.
She was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead by doctors, according to local media reports.
Investigators have ruled out foul play in Ms Kanda’s death, and believe that she either took her own life or fell from the hotel accidentally.
Ms Kanda, who voiced Princess Anna in the Japanese version of the hit 2013 animated Walt Disney film ‘Frozen’, was also a popular stage actress.
The actress was at a rehearsal for a performance in the musical ‘My Fair Lady’ on Friday, according to local media.
But Ms Kanda did not show up for a performance of the musical at a theatre in Sapporo, the capital of the mountainous northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, on Saturday afternoon. She was later found dead that evening.
Sayaka Kanda, 35, (left) died on December 18 after she fell from a 22-storey hotel. Ms Kanda voiced Princess Anna (right) in the Japanese version of the hit 2013 animated Walt Disney film ‘Frozen’
Ms Kanda did not show up for a performance in the musical ‘My Fair Lady’ at a theatre in Sapporo, the capital of the mountainous northern Japanese island of Hokkaido
Toho Co., the production company behind the play, announced on Tuesday that an alternative cast would perform the play until late January.
Performances of ‘My Fair Lady’ were also cancelled on Sunday and Monday following the news of Ms Kanda’s death.
The production company paid tribute to the actress and her contributions to Japan’s entertainment industry.
Takako Matsu, who provided Elsa with her voice in the Japanese version of ‘Frozen’, commented on Disney’s official Twitter account that she was left ‘speechless’ at the death of her colleague, saying that ‘the time we spent together is an irreplaceable treasure for me.’
Ms Kanda’s agency thanked fans for their support on Tuesday, writing on its official website: ‘We solemnly accept our responsibility for not being able to protect Kanda.’
Earlier, the agency L’aube Inc. said: ‘We are very sorry to give such a report to all the fans who supported us and all the people who took care of us.
‘We are still unable to accept her passing and are trying to cope with it.’
Ms Kanda, who had been acting is musicals since she was around 20 years old, married in 2017 but divorced two years later, according to The Japan Times.
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