Legendary Horror Author Koji Suzuki Passes Away at 68
Koji Suzuki, the master of Japanese horror literature and creator of the Ring series, which became a global phenomenon, has passed away at the age of 68. Suzuki, who died on May 8, 2026, at a hospital in Tokyo due to a chronic illness, left behind a massive legacy that changed the modern horror genre forever. The news was confirmed by leading Japanese news outlets Asahi Shimbun and Jiji Press, as the horror world mourns this great loss.
Although Suzuki's career began in 1990 with his novel Paradise (Rakuen), his major breakthrough came with Ring, published in 1991. The theme of a "cursed videotape that causes viewers to die within seven days" triggered a wave of horror not only in Japan but across the entire world. The character Sadako Yamamura, born from Suzuki's imagination, became one of the most recognizable and feared figures in popular culture. The success of the novel was cemented by the 1998 film directed by Hideo Nakata and the subsequent Hollywood adaptations; the original book sold more than 2.3 million copies in Japan alone.
Suzuki also held a special place for manga lovers. The Ring series was adapted into manga format multiple times by artists such as Misao Inagaki, Meimu, and Sakura Mizuki. In recent years, the place of the Sadako character in the modern world was even reinterpreted through comedy-focused manga series like Sadako-san and Sadako-chan. Suzuki laid the foundations of the J-Horror (Japanese Horror) movement not only with Ring, but also with works such as Dark Water, Spiral, and Loop.
