Singer and actress Sayaka Kanda, who was best known for voicing Anna in the Japanese dubbed version of Disney’s Frozen, was cremated on Tuesday. Her parents, actor Masaki Kanda and Seika Matsuda briefly spoke with the press outside a crematorium in Sapporo, Japan, the city where Kanda died. Kanda was 35 and her parents’ only child.
“We said goodbye (to her), and only closest family members attended,” Masaki, 71, told reporters who gathered outside the crematorium, reports Kyodo News. Matsuda, 59, also thanked the press for attending, despite the cold weather. The couple bowed before leaving.
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Kanda was in Sapporo, the largest city north of Tokyo, to perform in a production of My Fair Lady. She did not show up at the Saturday afternoon show. She was discovered in an outdoor area on the 14th floor of the 22-story hotel she was staying at. Kanda was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Police ruled out foul play. They believe she took her own life or may have fallen by accident.
Her agency later confirmed Kanda’s death in a statement posted on her website. “I would like to report to everyone who has supported Sayaka Kanda so far. Kanda Sayaka (35 years old) died suddenly at 9:40 pm on December 18, 2021,” Robe Co. CEO Kamaichi Mitsushia said in the statement. “We are very sorry to give such a report to all the fans who supported us and all the people who took care of us. We are still unable to accept her passing and are trying to cope with it. We are currently investigating the detailed situation, but we kindly ask the media to refrain from interviewing relatives or posting articles by speculation.”
Kanda began performing on the stage when she was 20. She voiced Anna for Disney in the Japanese dubs of Frozen, Ralph Breaks the Internet, and Frozen II. Disney Japan released a statement from her Frozen co-star Takako Matsu, who said the time they worked together was an “irreplaceable treasure” for her. It is not known if Kanda’s father still plans to perform during broadcaster NHK’s New Year’s Eve special.
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