Johnny Kitagawa, founder of the Japanese boy band empire, dies at 87 (1)
Johnny Kitagawa, the founder and longtime president of Johnny & Associates, the talent agency that has produced some of Japan’s most popular boy bands, has died at the age of 87. (2)
Kitagawa was born in Los Angeles in 1931 and moved to Japan in 1952. He founded Johnny & Associates in 1962 and the agency quickly became a powerhouse in the Japanese entertainment industry. (3)
Johnny & Associates is responsible for creating some of Japan’s most popular boy bands, including SMAP, Arashi, and KAT-TUN. The agency’s artists are known for their clean-cut image and catchy pop songs. (4)
Kitagawa was a controversial figure in the Japanese entertainment industry. He was accused of exploiting his young artists and of having close ties to organized crime. (5)
However, there is no doubt that Kitagawa was a visionary who helped to shape the Japanese entertainment industry. His death is a major loss for the industry and for fans of Japanese pop music. (6)
References (1)Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Japanese boy band empire, dies at 87 (2)ジャニーズ事務所社長、ジャニー喜多川さん死去 87歳 (3)ジャニー喜多川さん死去 SMAP育てた「ジャニーズの父」 (4)Johnny Kitagawa: The man who made Japan’s boy bands a global phenomenon (5)ジャニー喜多川さん死去 SMAP育てた「ジャニーズの父」 (6)ジャニーズ事務所社長、ジャニー喜多川さん死去 87歳
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