Hiromu Kitagawa was born and raised in Los Angeles, and served in the U.S military during the Korean War. Kitagawa later worked at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, where he was inspired to promote boy bands after seeing the movie West Side Story.
In 1962, Kitagawa formed the talent agency Johnny & Associates. Since then, his agency gave birth to such successful all-male acts as Shonentai, Hikaru Genji, KinKi Kids, Tokio and many more. Kitagawa’s Guinness World Records include the most No. 1 singles produced by an individual.
On June 18, Kitagawa was rushed to the hospital after suffering a stroke caused by a ruptured cerebral aneurysm. He was then pronounced dead on July 10, 2019.
Kitagawa had his share of ups-and-downs during his long career in the music business, and the entire Japanese entertainment industry mourned for him.
“My life changed so much since I met Johnny-san. Please rest well,” said Satoshi Ono, the leader of Arashi, one of the most successful idol groups created by Kitagawa’s talent agency and Johnny & Associates Inc.
Another member, Jun Matsumoto left a statement, “I wanted to watch more shows created by Johnny-san and talk more with him.”
On February 7, 2023, actor and singer Lee Seung Gi announced he and actress Lee Da-in will marry in April. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 이승기 Leeseunggi (@leeseunggi.official) Lee Seung Gi’s... Read More
On February 11, 2023, former BIGBANG member Seungri will be released from prison after completing his year and a half sentence for nine charges including habitual gambling, solicitation of illegal prostitution, the spread of illegally filmed... Read More
Another former idol’s getting married! Former Nine Muses member Minha announced on February 5, 2023 that she and her non-celebrity fiancé will be getting married in May. On her Instagram, she shared a letter announcing the happy news. Hello,... Read More
Japanese idol group Cho Tokimeki♡Sendenbu, who became a worldwide sensation with over 2 billion plays of their song ‘Suki! ~Cho ver~’, have released a digital EP titled ‘Zettai dayo’, their first new music release in three months.... Read More
The remaining two LOONA members that didn’t file for contract nullification have finally filed their injunctions. ViVi and Hyunjin filed their injunctions February 3, 2023. The injunction asks for the validity of their contracts to be... Read More
Congratulations to solo singer Ben and her husband Lee Wook! The pair welcomed their first child, a daughter, on February 1, 2023. Ben shared a post on Instagram that read: An angel is born. She’s such a small, cute, and precious... Read More
Following Chuu’s expulsion and fellow now ex-LOONA members Kim Lip, Heejin, Jinsoul, and Choerry winning their contract termination lawsuits, Blockberry Creative (BBC) has opted to escalate issues further by petitioning the courts to have... Read More
South Korean actor Park Bo Gum has signed with ‘THEBLACKLABEL‘. “We are thrilled to welcome Park Bo Gum who has strong influences not only in South Korea but also overseas” said THEBLACKLABEL, calling Park Bo Gum a... Read More
Gaining popularity thanks to her unique mic skills and her tracks based on hip-hop and R&B, rising young Japanese artist LANA released her single ‘PULL UP’ on November 30, 2022 – and now it is going viral on TikTok. The track is... Read More
K-Pop sensation ENHYPEN to headline music festival with major supporting acts including KANG DANIEL, and others making their U.S. arena debut GRAMMY Museum® to host a stage at three-day expo featuring Q&A panel discussions and showcase... Read More
Leave a Reply