Shigeru Araki, lead actor in the live-action Kamen Rider Stronger series, passed away on Saturday, April 14 at 5:02 p.m. He was 63. He was admitted to a hospital in Tokyo for pneumonia symptoms but was found to have an aspergillosis infection. Aspergillosis is a lung infection caused by exposure to mold in compost, grain, and decaying vegetation.
Araki previously underwent a successful surgery for esophageal cancer in 2007 before running for election in Meguro City, Tokyo. His health had fluctuated after the surgery, having been in the hospital earlier this month. He was classified as in critical condition on Friday. His wife, actress Noriko Higuchi, stayed by his side.
Araki was born February 9, 1949 in Izumi City, Kagoshima under his birth name Ikunori Araki. After graduating high school, he played in the band Four Saints. The band's breakthrough song, "Chisai Nikki," sold 200,000 copies in 1968. After the band broke up in 1973, he began his acting career. He starred in the tokusatsu ("special effects") television series Kamen Rider Stronger in 1975. The lead character, Shigeru, was named after him.