TOKYO -- Fans of Japanese actress Yuko Takeuchi left tens of thousands of comments on her last Instagram post after the 40-year-old, known for her radiant smile, was found dead at her home in an apparent suicide.
"Tell me it's not true."
"Your smile was truly beautiful and pure."
Her last post, dated Sept. 1, was a photo of her with a mountain of Sapporo Ichiban instant noodles, for which she was a brand ambassador. "Hi all. Have you been well during the summer holidays?" she wrote.
The response came not just from Japan.
"I was supporting you from South Korea. I am crying from the bottom of my heart," one fan wrote. "The fact that I can write this comment in Japanese now, is partly because of you. Thank you."
"I can't believe that you're not in this world anymore," a fan in Indonesia wrote. "You were amazing."
South Korea's SBS News reported Sunday that "not only fans in Japan but also in Korea are expressing their condolences in shock."
The broadcaster reported that Takeuchi had remarried in February 2019 with 35-year-old actor Taiki Nakabayashi, and had just given birth to a child in January. SBS said that in June, media outlets captured the couple on a friendly walk wearing masks, carrying their young child in a stroller.
Stardust Promotion, Takeuchi's management company, announced the film and television star's death on Sunday.
"To all persons concerned and dear fans," a statement posted on Stardust's website began. "Today, on Sept. 27, Yuko Takeuchi, who belonged to our company, died at her home. She was 40."
"Our artists and staff are stunned with shock and sadness that we are having to convey this painful news to you," the statement read. "It was all too sudden. We are currently confirming the details of the situation."
"We earnestly ask the media to be mindful of the deep despair that the family is going through," it added.
Stardust is one of Japan's biggest talent agencies, managing stars such as Keiko Kitagawa, Kento Yamazaki, Win Morisaki and idol group Momoiro Clover Z.
