Rokusuke Ei — writer, broadcaster, raconteur — died on July 7 at the age of 83, roughly two decades after publishing a best-seller called "Daiojo," which means "Dying Peacefully." Several media outlets reported that Ei passed peacefully. He'd had Parkinson's disease for a number of years before he died and yet continued to present his long-running show on TBS Radio until this spring — though he often did so over the phone. He also had to rely more on his female announcing partner, which in a way was the saddest aspect of his decline. Ei was, more than anything, a man of words, someone who understood the power of simple, clear language. His gift was instinctual — he didn't need to choose his words carefully.

In a series of memorial interviews in the Asahi Shimbun with some of Ei's professional acquaintances, veteran comedian Kinichi Hagimoto said of his friend, "It was almost depressing to meet someone who could express himself that well."

Ei's most famous accomplishment was the lyrics to "Ue wo Muite Aruko," the only Japanese-language song ever to reach the top of the U.S. pop charts. Americans in the early 1960s loved the song — redubbed "Sukiyaki" — for its irresistible melody and singer Kyu Sakamoto's yearning delivery. They had no idea what the song was about, but in Japan, where it was even more popular, the appeal was its words, which describe a person holding back tears as he walks. What caused those tears isn't revealed in the song, though it is believed Ei was lamenting the Japanese government's capitulation to the U.S. by signing a security treaty extending the status of American bases in Japan.