Ohno died of natural causes.
The official website of famous music composer Yuji Ohno announced that he passed away on 4 May, 2026, at the age of 84 due to natural causes. Office Augusta, Ohno’s production company, added that he died in his sleep, and there were no changes to his condition prior to his slumber.
Who is Yuji Ohno?
Born on 30 May, 1941, Yuji Ohno was a legendary jazz pianist and music composer. His most notable work is the soundtrack for the Lupin III franchise.
He first worked on Lupin III: Part II, the franchise’s second anime series, in 1977. Since then, the anime’s iconic opening theme song has been used in various series, specials, and movies through different arrangements. Ohno also performed music from the franchise in many concerts throughout the decades as part of the jazz act Yuji Ohno & Lupintic Five (later changed to Yuji Ohno & Lupintic Six).
Ohno started playing the piano when he was a child and taught himself jazz when he was in school. He was also a part of the Keio University’s Light Music Society band, and even played in famous clarinetist Kōji Fujika’s jazz quintet in college. He also had a jazz trio with drummer Hideo Shiraki and singer Yūzō Kayama, which was later dissolved. In 1977, Ohno composed the music for Kon Ichikawa’s iconic mystery thriller movie The Inugami Family, and Junya Satō's Proof of the Man. In 1978, he composed the music for the Yasei no Shōmei movie.
Other than Lupin III, Ohno has also composed scores for various other anime projects including: Captain Future, Undersea Super Train: Marine Express, A Time Slip of 10000 Years: Prime Rose, and Andromeda Stories. He also composed the theme for the Space Adventure Cobra anime series. His death is a huge loss for the anime and music industries.