Actor, comedian, and musician Hitoshi Ueki died of respiratory failure on Tuesday morning in a Tokyo hospital. He was 80.

In January, Ueki complained of several problems, such as loss of appetite. He was in and out of the hospital until the middle of this month, when his condition worsened.

Ueki debuted as a musician in 1947. In 1957, he became a member of the jazz band Hajime Hana and the Crazy Cats, who were popular in the sixties. The group appeared in many movies, including the "Musekinin" series and the "Nippon Ichi no Otoko" series. Ueki was also very active in television.

In 1993, Ueki was awarded the Shiju Hosho, a national honor.