JAPANESE comedian Ken Shimura, who was hospitalized last week after being infected with the new coronavirus, has died. He was 70.

A household name in Japan since the 1970s, Shimura was a near constant presence on Japanese television. At the time of his death, he was appearing regularly on several local variety shows, and was set to star in Japanese director Yoji Yamada’s upcoming feature film “God of Cinema,” produced by Japanese studio Shochiku to mark its 100-year anniversary in the film industry. Shochiku has put the film on indefinite hold.

Shimura was hospitalized in Tokyo on March 20 after developing a fever and being diagnosed with severe pneumonia. He tested positive for the coronavirus March 23, and became the first Japanese celebrity to go public with a COVID-19 diagnosis.

(SD-Agencies)