Via Nikkei: gag show legend and one of the most recognizable comedians in the Japanese entertainment industry Ken Shimura, has passed away after a two-week battle to complications caused by COVID-19. He was 70.

Shimura tested positive for COVID-19 on 23rd March after being admitted to a hospital for fever and severe pneumonia. He was the first big-name Japanese entertainer to publicly acknowledge having caught the virus.

Repose en Paix.