Renowned Japanese violinist Sato Yoko has died of liver cancer. She was 72.

Officials in the city of Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, say she died at a hospital there on July 19.

Sato was born in 1949 and started playing the violin when she was 3. She graduated from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory with top grades. She came in second at the 1972 Paganini international violin competition in Italy.

Sato was also known as a vocalist and an essayist. In 1980, she announced she and artist Ikeda Masuo had become partners. They lived in Atami. After Ikeda died in 1997, she donated their home and workshop to the city.

The city placed condolence books at the two locations on Monday. Visitors can write messages in memory of the late violinist in the books until the end of August.