Lyricist Miyuki Ishimoto, who wrote roughly 4,000 songs during the past few decades, died of heart failure early on Wednesday, May 27. He was 85 years old.

Ishimoto apparently fell ill with diabetes ten years ago, and he had been repeatedly hospitalized since then. He also suffered from glaucoma and tinnitus. About a year ago, he was admitted to the Yokohama hospital where he eventually passed away.

As a young boy, Ishimoto loved poetry. He joined the navy in 1944, but during a hospital stay due to asthma, he discovered his interest in writing songs. In 1948, he debuted as an exclusive lyricist for King Records, and he found an early hit with Haruo Oka's "Akogare no Hawaii Koro."

Other famous works by Ishimoto include several Hibari Misora tunes, such as "Kanashii Sake" and "Minatomachi Jusan Banchi." In 1983 and 1984, he won two consecutive Japan Record Awards. He also served as the chairman of JASRAC from 1989 to 1994, and he received prestigious government decorations such as the Shiju Hosho in 1984.