Comedian Saburo Boya died of heart failure Saturday morning at a Tokyo hospital, his family said. He was 92.
Boya, whose real name was Toshihide Shibata, made his debut in vaudeville at a comedy theater in Tokyo's Asakusa entertainment district in 1936 and formed a musical comic trio called Akireta Boys (Boys in Disgust) the following year with Yoshio Kawada and Keaton Masuda.
The group became an instant hit and culminated in the "boys" style of comedy.
Boya appeared in various movies and television dramas in supporting roles.