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Utada Hikaru speaks out on mother’s suicide

SINGAPORE — Japanese singer-songwriter Utada Hikaru has spoken out for the first time since her mother’s apparent suicide last week.

Utada Hikaru's 2008 single, Prisoner Of Love

Utada Hikaru's 2008 single, Prisoner Of Love

SINGAPORE — Japanese singer-songwriter Utada Hikaru has spoken out for the first time since her mother’s apparent suicide last week.

In a statement on her website, Utada explained that her mother had been suffering from mental illness for many years, and that her condition had worsened over the years. “She is finally freed from her pain, but the way she ended her life was very sad.”

Even though she felt regret over her mother’s passing, the 30-year-old said she was proud to be her mother’s daughter.

“I have nothing but gratitude for everything she did for me.”

Utada’s mother, Fuji Keiko, was a well-known “enka” singer in Japan in the 1960s and 1970s. The 62-year-old was found dead on Aug 22 after plunging from a 13th-floor apartment in Tokyo.

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