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Voice Actress Keiko Yamamoto Dies at 83 Due to Sepsis

The official website of Aoni Production announced on Monday that voice actress Keiko Yamamoto died on April 18 due to sepsis. She was 83.

A private wake and funeral were held only for close family members. The delayed announcement was at the wishes of Yamamoto's family.

Yamamoto was born on August 7, 1940 in Osaka. Yamamoto has voiced the character of Shōta Yamada in the long-running Chibi Maruko-chan anime since January 1990. She stepped down from voicing the character after the episode that aired on December 17 last year. Emi Motoi replaced Yamamoto, and is now voicing the character.

Yamamoto also stepped down from voicing the character of Hanako Hanazawa in the similarly long-running children's anime Sazae-san in November 2023. Kumiko Watanabe is now voicing the character.

Yamamoto also voiced the titular characters in Tensai Bakabon and Ganbare Gonbe series, and Sunakake Baba in several Gegege no Kitarō television anime and films starting in 1971, until in the 2007 Gegege no Kitarō series, and the 2008 Gegege no Kitarō: Nippon Bakuretsu!! film.

Other characters Yamamoto voiced are Chikako in the second season of Himitsu no Akko-chan and films, Chōromatsu and Karamatsu in the 1966 Osomatsu-kun series, and Kinkotsu-Obaba and Nachiguron in several Kinnikuman series and films in the 1980s.

Sources: Aoni Production's website, Oricon website and X/Twitter account