Avant-garde jazz and blues vocalist Maki Asakawa, who caught the fancy of restless postwar baby boomers through such songs as "Kamome," died of acute heart failure in Nagoya, the Aichi Prefectural Police said Monday. She was 67.
Asakawa was found collapsed in her hotel room in Nagoya on Sunday night and later pronounced dead.
A native of Ishikawa Prefecture, she first attracted significant attention in 1968 when she performed at the Sasoriza underground theater under charismatic playwright Shuji Terayama in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.
Asakawa made her name in 1970 with her first album, "The World of Maki Asakawa," and frequently appeared live with jazz and rock singers and other artists.
Her hit songs include "Yo ga Aketara" and "Kamome." Her "Darkness" CD collections also enjoyed widespread popularity.