KUALA LUMPUR: The first voice actress for beloved character Nobita from the popular Japanese cartoon series Doraemon, Yoshiko Ota, died recently due to heart failure. She was 89.
According to a news report by NHK, Ota breathed her last at a hospital in Japan's Kanagawa prefecture on Oct 29.
However, The Theatre Echo Company, where she was attached as a voice talent only announced her passing on Nov 8.
Apart from Doraemon, Ota had also lent her voice to other iconic anime characters — Leo in the 1966 Jungle Emperor Leo, Atsuko Kagami in the 1969 Himitsu No Akko-chan, and Baby Panda in Panda! Go, Panda!
Ota was born in the Hyogo prefecture on April 25, 1932, and spent most of her youth there.
In 1947, she joined the all-female musical theatre troupe Takarazuka Revue, when she met her future husband and fellow voice actor Osamu Saka.
In 2016, Ota was a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival for her contributions to early anime works.