Musician and actor Johnny Okura, who played a supporting role in the 1983 Japanese-British film "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence," died in a Tokyo hospital on Nov. 19, his management office said Thursday. He was 62, and the cause of death was pneumonia.

Okura shot to fame in Japan in the 1970s as a guitarist and vocalist in seminal rock band Carol, whose hits included "Louisiana" and "Funky Monkey Baby."

After the four-man band dissolved in 1975, Okura went solo and began his career as an actor. He won a Japan academy award as a supporting actor in 1981 and also played a role in the 1990 Takeshi Kitano film "Boiling Point."