Former actress Ai Saotome passed away on July 20 at a hospital in Seattle, Washington, it has been learned. Saotome, who was 51, died of multiple organ failure.
Saotome's former agency informed the media of her death. According to the agency's report, Saotome was hospitalized on July 11 to receive treatment for her poor health, but her condition eventually worsened and resulted in multiple organ failure.
Saotome, whose real name was Satomi Setoguchi, broke into show business in 1974 when she won an audition for the female lead in the first film adaptation of Ikki Kajiwara's "Ai to Makoto" manga. That audition gave her an exclusive contract with the Shochiku film studio, and she made her show business debut under the name Ai Saotome, the same name as the character she played.
In the early '80s, she showed off her sexy side when she appeared in one of Nikkatsu's Roman Porno films, and after that she played several villain roles in film and television. In the late '90s, she married and had a child, resulting in her retirement from show business in 2000. She and her family moved to a Seattle suburb around eight years ago.
Sorry to say I did not know she was even here. She probably wanted it that way though.
from here
