Legendary Asian-American actor James Shigeta died at the age of 81 on Monday, July 28.

James Shigeta Died July 28

Shigeta’s agent announced the news on Monday with a statement:

“It is with great sadness that I report the loss of my long time friend and client James Shigeta…James passed peacefully in his sleep, July 28, 2014, at 2 p.m. The world has lost a great actor. Sadly, I lost a dear friend.”

Shigeta, who began his onscreen career in 1959, is largely considered the first breakthrough Asian-American star. Born in Hawaii, Shigeta studied acting at NYU and served as a Marine in the Korean War. He also had a successful singing career in Japan prior to his American success.

Shigeta made his feature film debut in Crimson Kimono (1959), earning his breakout role two years later in the Rogers and Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song.

Most of his career was comprised of TV guest appearances – he did one episode stints on Mission: Impossible and Hawaii Five-0, among others – but he is perhaps most known for his role in Die Hard (1988), the honorable executive, Joseph Takagi.

Remembering James Shigeta

Shigeta most recently co-starred in Quentin Lee’s People I’ve Slept With. Lee remembered Shigeta on Twitter, posting a sweet behind-the-scenes video of Shigeta talking about the film.

Others have also taken to Twitter to express their sadness. Asian-American actor Daniel Dae Kim, who currently stars on CBS’ Hawaii 5-0, thanked Shigeta “for helping pave the way.”

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.