Pokemon voice actor Tomo Sakurai, who voiced Cynthia for 15 years, dies aged 53

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Tomo Sakurai, who voiced Pokemon's Cynthia in multiple TV shows, has died at the age of 53.

Sakurai was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in August 2023. She was admitted to hospital earlier this month when her condition worsened, and she died on August 13. The news was shared over the weekend on her official Twitter account.

"We express our deepest gratitude for the many messages of support and well-wishes received during her lifetime," reads a statement on Twitter.

"Sakurai was aiming for a full recovery from her illness and was always working hard with us on her treatment. However, we are deeply saddened at this turn of events. We sincerely apologize to everyone who has supported her."

She voiced the Pokemon character Cynthia (known as Shirona in Japan) in titles like Diamond & Pearl, Best Wishes! 2, and Pokemon Master Journeys: The Series. In the Pokemon games, Cynthia is the Champion of the Sinnoh Region, one of the hardest bosses to beat.

Sakurai started her career as a member of the idol trio Lemon Angel in 1987 and moved to acting after the group disbanded in 1990.

She also voiced Mylene in Macross 7, which ran from 1994 to 1995 and marked her breakthrough voice acting role. Some of her other anime voice roles include Chigusa in Shakugan no Shana, which she played from 2005 to 2011, and Hinowa in Gintama from 2009 to 2015. Sakurai briefly retired from the entertainment industry in 2016, but returned to the spotlight in 2019.

Our thoughts are with her family and friends.