Actor Masaki Kanda (R) and singer Seiko Matsuda speak to reporters in Sapporo on Dec. 21, 2021, after their daughter Sayaka Kanda's body was cremated. (Kyodo)
SAPPORO (Kyodo) -- Popular Japanese stage and voice actress Sayaka Kanda was cremated Tuesday, three days after her fatal fall from a high-rise hotel in Sapporo, with her celebrity parents bidding farewell to their 35-year-old daughter at a crematorium in the northern city.
Actor Masaki Kanda, 71, and singer Seiko Matsuda, 59, stood side by side dressed in mourning attire as they briefly spoke with the press after the cremation of their only child. The couple divorced when Sayaka Kanda, who voiced the character of Anna in the Japanese dubbed version of Disney's blockbuster animated film "Frozen," was 10-years-old.
"We said goodbye (to her), and only closest family members attended (the cremation)," said Kanda, holding an urn containing his daughter's ashes. In a trembling voice, Matsuda thanked the press for gathering despite cold weather. They then bowed deeply and left.
Sayaka Kanda did not show up for her performance in the musical "My Fair Lady" at a Sapporo theater on Saturday afternoon and was found lying in an outdoor space on the 14th floor of the 22-story hotel where she was staying, located close to the theater. She was later confirmed dead at a hospital.
Police have ruled out foul play and believe the actress committed suicide or fell accidentally.
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