I thought, “I’ve finally climbed out of the depths,” but… the “SOS signals” Ryotaro Shimizu had been sending—which had appeared in the past as well

The loneliness of not being able to see his children

It has been revealed that Ryotaro Shimizu, a TV personality and the third son of impressionist Akira Shimizu (72), was found dead in his apartment in Tokyo. He was 37.

Based on the circumstances at the scene, suicide is considered the most likely cause of death. The exact date and time of death are unknown.

According to sources, on August 1, Ryotaro’s manager, unable to contact him, visited his home, found him collapsed, and called 119. His death was subsequently confirmed. No suicide note was found.

Ryotaro made his acting debut in 2006 in the NHK Taiga drama *Kōmyōga Tsuji*. In 2011, following in the footsteps of his father, Akira Shimizu, he ventured into impersonation.

However, he faced a series of troubles afterward. In February 2017, it was revealed that he had been frequenting an “illegal casino,” leading him to voluntarily suspend his entertainment activities for nine months. During that time, in October of the same year, he was arrested on suspicion of violating the Stimulants Control Act (use) and received a guilty verdict of one year and six months in prison, suspended for three years.

“At that time, Akira-san spoke to reporters in front of his home, sobbing uncontrollably and saying, ‘I can only call him an idiot.’ It’s become a well-known story that he refused to pay his son’s bail to encourage him to reflect on his actions,” said a sports newspaper reporter covering the entertainment industry.

Ryotaro married a non-celebrity woman in 2016 and had one child, but in 2021, he was arrested on suspicion of assaulting his wife. Since then, they have been living apart, and

“He was struggling with the loneliness of not being able to see his child,”

.

Following Ryotaro’s death, Akira released a statement through his agency.

“It was my greatest joy to perform in a parent-child concert and hear Ryotaro’s singing voice. He was a considerate and very kind boy. I believed that staying healthy was the best way to honor my parents, so I am filled with regret,”

he wrote, expressing his feelings. He had just performed in a father-son concert with Ryotaro in June. Given that they were seen smiling and interacting on stage, the sudden news of his death has sent shockwaves through the public.

“They had mended their relationship after a period of estrangement and even appeared together in front of the media. Compared to four or five years ago, when things were at their lowest point, Ryotaro’s life should have been on the upswing…”

said a person familiar with Ryotaro in an interview with this magazine.

He also does YouTube and street performances

About four or five years ago, it was right after he had been arrested on suspicion of assaulting his wife. According to this person

“At the time, he was so desperate that he was impossible to handle. He even hinted at suicide,”

he said.

He spoke about this himself on the YouTube channel “Machiroku ch ~Tell Me About Your Life~,” which was uploaded in June ’23.

At the time, he was working as a cockroach exterminator but quit his job. Overcome by a sense of hopelessness, Ryotaro

“I thought I was done for. I decided to go to Misakiguchi (on the Keikyu Line),”

and was about to take action.

However, he got off at Kawasaki Station along the way. There, he saw two men performing a street concert, and, carried away by the moment, he went alone to a karaoke box, ordered a large amount of alcohol, and sang his heart out.

After enjoying the karaoke, Ryotaro sent an email from inside the shop to an acquaintance with a photo attached, saying, “I’m okay.” At the time, Ryotaro had reportedly been sending cryptic emails to his acquaintances saying, “Thank you for everything so far.”

Upon seeing that message, his father, Akira, who had obtained a copy from an acquaintance, reportedly identified the karaoke bar where Ryotaro was and waited outside for him to come out.

On the same program, Ryotaro reflected on that time, saying

“My dad had his hair all messy and was wearing pajamas. In his sandals, he said, ‘Phew, I made it just in time.’ (Once I got into the car that came to pick me up), I was so relieved I burst into tears.”

After that, Akira reportedly continued to encourage him throughout the car ride. According to the aforementioned person who knows Ryotaro:

“Akira must have sensed how precarious his son’s situation was, which is why he rushed to the karaoke bar still in his pajamas. After that, thanks in part to Akira’s efforts, Ryotaro launched a YouTube channel and began performing live on the streets.In May 2023, he even appeared at the much-talked-about martial arts event ‘Breaking Down.’ His father-son concert with Akira was a huge success, and everyone thought, ‘He’s finally climbed out of the depths…’ but…”

According to an acquaintance, Ryotaro tends to cut off all contact with the outside world when he becomes mentally unstable. During a crisis four or five years ago, he completely ignored calls from friends and family. And this time, too…

At the end of the Machiroku Channel video, Ryotaro said

“I want to make it into the media on my own, become famous again, and convey the brilliance of the impersonations I love,”

However, that dream will never come true—