Asian pop music legend and Japanese singer-songwriter Tanimura Shinji died earlier this month. He was 74 years old.

Tanimura was born in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, and made his musical album debut as a member of a three-man band, Alice, in 1972.

The group churned out one hit after another. Their signature songs include "Champion" and "Fuyu no Inazuma", or Winter Lightning.

Tanimura also enjoyed an active solo vocalist career. The song "Subaru", or Star became synonymous with the singer-songwriter. He also wrote many hit tunes for other singers, including "Ii Hi Tabidachi", or Departure on a Fine Day, written for idol singer Yamaguchi Momoe.

Tanimura served as a professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and has been a popular singer in China. In 2017, he held a concert in Shanghai to mark the 45th anniversary of the normalization of ties between Japan and China.

His signature song "Subaru" is said to be widely known across China, with the song being sung with Chinese lyrics.

The Japanese government awarded him a Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2015 for his contributions to the development of art and culture by creating a body of work that appealed widely not only in his home country but throughout Asia.

His official website disclosed on Monday that Tanimura had undergone surgery in March due to enteritis, and canceled a planned nationwide tour of Alice to recuperate, but died on October 8.