In Memoriam ’24 ] Toshiyuki Nishida Shigeru Matsuzaki reveals, “Nishiyan loved people and was a lonely person.
Tombstone 2024] Sad farewells to stars always come suddenly. We bring you words of regret along with treasured photos.
Toshiyuki Nishida
Passed away on October 17 at the age of 76
She was a lonely person who loved people.
Shigeru Matsuzaki (singer)
I first met him 47 years ago. I was working part-time as a storyteller in Roppongi when Toshio Shiba, 77, brought Nishiyan to the restaurant. He went up on stage and started singing crappy Presley songs, saying, “Let me sing too. …… Since then, we always played together on Bon and New Year’s.
Nishiyan loves people and is extremely lonely. Whenever we would get together as a “five-person group,” the usual three of us plus Ken Tanaka (73) and the late Taro Shigaki (70), Nishi-yan would call all kinds of people and the restaurant would end up being full.
He was always positive and never said anything negative. Even when his body was so battered that it took him 15 minutes to go to the bathroom, which a healthy person could walk to in two minutes, he would say, “Mats, we have to enjoy our old age,” and “Work is the best source of nutrition, right? Even when we had a drink 10 days before you passed away, I kissed you on both cheeks and said “See you later” as we parted on our way home. ……
Nishiyan, let’s drink again.
From the January 3, 10, and 17, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY
PHOTO： Kodansha Resource Center, Shima Sota
