Joseph Luster
July 29, 2024 
Keiko Yamamoto. who had a long career in the anime voice acting industry, has sadly passed away. The delayed announcement was made via the official Aoni Production website, which stated that Yamamoto passed on April 18, 2024 at the age of 83 due to sepsis.
One of Yamamoto’s key roles was that of Shota Yamada on the Chibi Maruko-chan anime. She voiced the character from January 1990 until December 2023, eventually stepping down. Emi Motoi has been voicing the character following Yamamoto’s final episode.
In addition to other roles such as Sunakake Baba in Gegege no Kitaro, the title characters in Tensai Bakabon and Ganbare Gonbe, and Choromatsu and Karamatsu in the 1966 Osomatsu-kun series, she also voiced Hanako Hanazawa in the long-running Sazae-san anime. Kumiko Watanabe replaced Yamamoto in the role when she stepped down in November 2023.
The announcement of her passing was delayed at the request of Keiko Yamamoto’s family, who have since held a private wake and funeral for other close family members. Our thoughts go out to everyone who knew her both personally and professionally.
Earlier this month, another longtime voice acting legend, Noriko Ohara, passed away as well.
Source: Anime News Network
