Japanese actress, voice actress and singer (1960–2024)
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Tarako (たらこ, Tarako; December 17, 1960 – March 4, 2024)[1][2][3][4] was a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer. Her debut role was as a preschooler on Urusei Yatsura. She was better known as the voice of Momoko "Maruko" Sakura, the titular character in the long-running anime series Chibi Maruko-chan from its debut in 1990 until its conclusion in 1992 and its subsequent revival, which premiered in 1995 and continues to air as of today. She was employed by the talent management firm Troubadour Musique Office.[5][6]
Following her death in March 2024, Kokoro Kikuchi took over the role of Maruko in Chibi Maruko-chan after the show resumed from its month-long hiatus on April 21 of that year.[7]
Death
Around November 2023, Tarako was diagnosed with a serious illness for which she was immediately hospitalized. At the beginning of her hospital stay, she was still well enough to continue voice acting. However, her condition gradually worsened to the point where she could no longer stand and she showed no sign of improvement.
Tarako died on March 4, 2024, at the age of 63. She had recorded her final lines for Chibi Maruko-Chan in the days just before her death.[8][3][4][9]
The producers of Chibi Maruko-chan, as well as her talent agency Troubadour, Fuji Television and Nippon Animation announced her death to the public five days later on March 9, 2024.[10][9]
In a eulogy written by the staff of Chibi Maruko-chan, they said that she had been eager to continue voicing her character Maruko while in the hospital and continued through her illness with "great love" for her work.[10] The following day a message board was put up at the entrance to Chibi-Maruko Chan Land in Shizuoka for guests and fans to contribute messages of commemoration and thanks for her years of work.[11]
The last episode Tarako recorded as Maruko aired as a one-hour special on March 24, 2024, on Fuji TV and other FNS stations.[12]
