Sayaka Kanda (1986–2021) was a Japanese actress, singer and model who also worked under the names Sayaka, Lily and Jun Uehara. She was the only child of actor Masaki Kanda and pop singer Seiko Matsuda. Kanda worked across film, stage, television, voice acting and music, and was known for her roles in the Japanese dub of the film Frozen and in several stage musicals. She died in Sapporo in December 2021 at the age of 35.
Career highlights
Kanda appeared in the short film Bean Cake in 1999, which won the Palme d'Or for short films at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. She later took part in films and stage productions, and in 2012 she made her debut as a voice actress in the television anime Good Luck Girl!. She voiced Anna in the Japanese dub of Frozen, for which she won the Best Lead Actress award at the 9th Seiyu Awards. Alongside guitarist Billy, she formed the duo Trustrick in 2014, which released albums before disbanding in December 2016.
Modeling and music
While on hiatus from acting in 2005, Kanda began appearing in lolita fashion magazines under the name Lily. She modeled for several publications and for the brand Angelic Pretty, and in 2012 she collaborated with the label on a dress set. She also composed and wrote the lyrics to the song Bless You, performed by her mother Seiko Matsuda in 2006, and released cover versions of Vocaloid songs on YouTube.
Death
On December 18, 2021, Kanda was found unconscious in the outer garden of a hotel in Sapporo. She died later at a hospital. Police determined the cause of death to be traumatic shock after she fell from an upper floor of the hotel. A magazine report later claimed she had died by suicide, linked to vocal cord problems and difficulties in her relationship.