Japanese actress Miho Nakayama was found dead in a bathtub at her home in Tokyo on Friday. She was 54 years old.
Ms. Nakayama found success as a singer in the 1980s and 1990s at the height of the J-pop wave, but was best known for her role in the 1995 film Love Letter.

An acquaintance discovered Ms. Nakayama on Friday after she failed to show up for work. Paramedics were called and she was pronounced dead at the scene, local media reported. The cause of her death remains under investigation.

Ms. Nakayama was originally scheduled to perform in Osaka on Friday for a Christmas concert, but she canceled the performance due to health concerns.
A statement posted on her website by her agency confirmed her death on Friday.

“We are shocked by the sudden occurrence of this event,” the statement said, adding that the cause of her death has not been confirmed.
Ms. Nakayama, who was one of Japan’s most popular teen idols in the 1980s, also had a successful acting career — including as the lead actress in “Love Letter,” a 1995 film about a “widow writing to a grieving stranger.”

The film was a huge box office success and received critical acclaim at home and abroad. Ms. Nakayama’s performance won her several Best Actress awards.
Ms. Nakayama leaves behind a son, who is being cared for by her ex-husband, musician Hitonari Tsuji.