Tributes paid to Japanese singer Nobuo Yamada following his death at 61 after battle with kidney cancer
Nobuo Yamada who was also known as NoB, was the singer of the Japanese heavy metal band Make-Up.
Tributes have been paid to Japanese singer Nobuo Yamada following his death at 61 after a battle with kidney cancer. Nobuo, also known as NoB was the vocalist for Make-Up, a Japanese heavy metal band that performed the theme song of the original Saint Seiya anime series.
Japanese singer Nobuo Yamada’s agency Mojost shared the news of his death on X. The announcement read: “Announcement of the passing of NoB (Nobuo Yamada)
“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the fans who have strongly supported NoB's activities up to now, and to all the people involved who have worked so hard.”
Before his death, it had been revealed by Nobuo Yamada’s team six months ago that he had been diagnosed with kidney cancer seven years ago. CNA Lifestyle reported that his team shared the message which read: "He has endeavoured to carry on with his work as normally as possible, but due to health conditions, there have been occasions when he has been forced to cancel events. We sincerely apologise to everyone who had been looking forward to those appearances for the inconvenience and concern this has caused.”
After the news of his diagnosis was shared in February, Nobuo was due to take part in his Saint Seiya Pegasus Fantasy’ Grand Finale in Mexico and also was set to appear at the Tarō Kobayashi Festival, but these had to be cancelled because of his health.
The RangerBoard Facebook page, which has 106K followers, and provides news for Power Rangers, Super Sentai and Kamen Rider fans, paid tribute to Nobuo and wrote: “It's with great sadness that we learn of the passing of Nobuo Yamada, also known as 'NoB' - The incredible singer on many Super Sentai songs from Magiranger to King-Ohger, including the openings for Boukenger & Goseiger.
He passed away at the age of 61 on August 9th 2025 after a long battle with kidney cancer.
“Nobuo was born on January 20th, 1964. Since making his major debut as the vocalist of MAKE.UP in 1984, NoB has been active in numerous bands and projects such as Project.R, and in addition to singing, he also wrote lyrics and composed music, and his song "Pegasus Fantasy", the opening theme song of "Saint Seiya", became world famous.
“Since then, he has written and performed many anime and tokusatsu songs, and has sung at concerts and events all over the world, captivating many fans not only in Japan, but also overseas.
“He was diagnosed with kidney cancer eight years ago and underwent radiation and drug therapy while he continued to fight the disease. At this time, he was given five years to live, but he fought through with a strong will to continue singing. Even the day before he passed away, he was still talking about arranging the songs that he had composed and about the stage he would perform on to meet his fans, remaining as the "rock musician NoB" until the very end.
“Nobuo's funeral was held with only his close family members in attendance, in accordance with the wishes of his family. A farewell party for his fans will be held at a later date, and his agency will provide further information when details have been decided.”
In response to this tribute, one fan said: “Oh man, that's awful. I love NoB's work. Rest easy, may the power protect,” whilst another wrote: “Thank you for listing all his sentai songs credit he was my fave fave artist from Japan. He will be greatly missed RIP.”
A fan page, noboyamada_love on Instagram paid tribute to Nobuo and wrote: “As you all know, NoB-san passed away on August 9. We still need time to come to terms with this sadness.
“This account started in order to share his music, which continued to evolve even in his long battle with illness, with fans around the world. I was also hoping to encourage him with messages of love from fans. He ascended to heaven, but I’ll share his music, thoughts, and the meaning of his lyrics with you all again after a certain period.
“May he rest in peace, and I'll continue to cherish all his songs. Thank you very much for reading.”