Ikuyo Ima, known fondly by her fans as "the skinny one" of the female stand-up comedy duo "Ima Ikuyo Kuruyo," died Thursday of stomach cancer at a hospital in Osaka Prefecture, her agent's office said Friday. She was 67.
Ima was diagnosed with the disease and hospitalized in September last year but returned to the stage in December. The duo's show on May 11 in Osaka was her final performance.
The pair made their debut in 1973. "Ima Ikuyo Kuruyo" consisted of Ima Ikuyo — a stage name meaning "I'm going now" — and her high school classmate "Ima Kuruyo" ("I'm coming now"), or "the chubby one."
Making fun of each other's body sizes was a routine of their punch lines and "Ima Ikuyo Kuruyo" played a major role in the stand-up comedy boom in the 1980s.
