Mayonaka no Door (Stay With Me), Miki Matsubara’s first and breakout single, was one of the pioneers of the city-pop genre that dominated the Japanese music landscape in the 1970s and 1980s.
She has had a twenty-year career in singing, songwriting, and composition. As 2001 progressed, however, she suddenly disappeared.
Matsubara took a break back from making music, and the reason for her departure is unknown. Nevertheless, unbeknownst to the public at the time, she was fighting a losing battle against a fatal disease, and they had no idea she would never return.
Miki Matsubara Passed Away in October 2004, What Caused Her Death?
In late 2000, Miki Matsubara was diagnosed with advanced uterine cervical carcinoma. After four years of battling cancer, she passed away on October 7, 2004, at the age of 44. On December 14, 2004, however, just a few months later, the news of her passing was made public.
Matsubara devoted her final years to the treatment of her disease after a dismal diagnosis indicated she had just three months to live. In addition, she withdrew from the limelight and stopped creating music entirely.
It is known that Matsubara reached out to her friends and coworkers via email immediately after her diagnosis. She did not divulge her sickness, but she did write that she was terminating her contract and would no longer be working. The text of the email read:
“I cannot continue my music career due to an uncontrolled thing. I canceled everything, like my telephone, cellphone, and email. So, you don’t have to reply to this. I hope you will have a wonderful life. Miki.”
After sending that last email, Matsubara went into seclusion. She went so far as to erase her email account and unplug her home phone.
Matsubara Believed That Her Disease Was the Result of “How She Was Living Her Life.”
Miki Matsubara did, however, explain to her family the reasons for her sudden lifestyle change. She wrote in a letter to her brother:
“I have got a favor [to ask]. Please forget about the years of my life singing and making music. I can’t help but feel that the way I have been living my life has brought about my sickness…I must find a way to reset myself.”
While Matsubara’s letter is widely regarded as an admission of her unhappiness with her music career, other admirers argue that her comments have been taken out of context.
In her final year, she burnt some of her favorite musical compositions and CDs because she could not accept how little time she had left to write music, as shown in a documentary.
During her dying days, according to Matsubara’s father, she stated that there were “still so many things” she wished to do and that she did not “wish to die.”
“[Miki] had always been independent, but in the last six months of her life, it was almost as if she had turned into a baby, wanting her parents’ affection,” her father recounted.
The final email sent by Miki to her family, which was read at her burial by her husband, stated:
“I realized many things for the first time after I was diagnosed. If possible, I want to be healthy and return the courtesy for [my family] a lot. I want to be healthy and restart my life.”
Conclusion
In late 2000, Miki Matsubara was diagnosed with advanced uterine cervical carcinoma. After four years of battling cancer, she passed away on October 7, 2004, at the age of 44. On December 14, 2004, however, just a few months later, the news of her passing was made public.
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