Shunsuke Kikuchi, the famed Japanese composer, known for composing music for anime such as Dragon Ball and Doraemon, has passed away. Kikuchi had also contributed to the soundtracks of Hollywood films such as Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Vol 1 and Kill Bill: Vol 2. He was 89 years old.Born in Hirosaki, Japan, in 1931, Kikuchi specialized in incidental music for television and film. He was one of Japan's most in-demand music composers and had worked on anime productions for children as well as violent active films.Kikuchi had been inactive since 2017 as he was taking a break to get treatment for an unspecified illness.Also read: MONSTA X fans call out TBS as "disrespectful" for tagging ARMY instead of Monbebe in promotional tweet for Chad's K-pop episodeHow did Shunsuke Kikuchi die?Japanese media company Oricon was the first to report Shunsuke Kikuchi's death. According to the company, his death was announced by the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers today. However, the artist had passed away earlier, on April 24th.Oricon also noted that Kikuchi had passed away at a medical facility in Tokyo at 89 due to aspiration pneumonia. It is a type of lung infection caused by a large amount of external material from the mouth or stomach entering the lungs.Kikuchi was undergoing medical treatment when he passed away.Also read: Decibel: ASTRO's Cha Eun Woo, Lee Jong Suk, and more suit up to play Navy officers in upcoming Korean action filmShunsuke Kikuchi's legacyThe composer had been working in Japanese film and television media since the early 1960s, with his first work being for the 1961 film, Hachininme no Teki. His composition's characteristic features included 16-beat blues and pentatonic bases.However, Shunsuke Kikuchi became more famous for his compositions for anime and tokusatsu productions. He composed the theme song for Doraemon in 1979 and then for Kamen Rider, Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and more.His song, Urami Bushi, which he composed for Female Prisoner, a Japanese film series from the 1970s, was included in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill soundtrack.He composed music for other Japanese television shows such as Dr Slump Arare-chan, Kiteretsu Daihyakka, Getta Robo, Highschool Kimengumi, Ninja Hatori-kun, Obake No Q-Taro, Toushou Daimos, and UFO Robo Grandizer, among many more.For his work in anime and film music, Shunsuke Kikuchi received the Award of Merit at the 2013 Tokyo Anime Awards and was awarded the lifetime achievement award at the 57th Japan Record Awards in 2015.Also read: When will Lee Kwang Soo's last Running Man episode air? Fans say variety show won't be the same without "unlucky icon"Fans mourn the loss of Shunsuke KikuchiFans of the legend took to social media to express their condolences and grief over his death. Many credited the composer for the impact of his iconic music for Dragon Ball and "inspiring a generation."I'm loss for words right now.....I want to thankShunsuke Kikuchi for being a part of a series that got me to invest in anime in the first place. The amount of happiness I felt when watching DB filled me with so much enthusiasm. I'll never forget him no matter what. Thank u! https://t.co/Q8yFlzE4tQ— Faisal Aden (@FaisalAdenOTM) April 28, 2021Thank you Shunsuke Kikuchi for inspiring a generation 🙏🏽🙏🏽 https://t.co/qnh61C6yOZ— this world is f****d up (@simomchvnu) April 28, 2021Rest in Peace Shunsuke Kikuchi!! Creator of pretty much all of Dragonball's iconic OSTs! Thanks for all the iconic memories created through the anime! pic.twitter.com/mLvEEmq3yI— Gabby Rivera (@Kyon_05) April 28, 2021RIP to the man, the myth, the legend. Original DB composer Shunsuke Kikuchi. pic.twitter.com/8bMmVf91Vs— 🛰 (@YangWenDee) April 28, 2021Thank you for the nostalgic soundtracks rest in paradise Shunsuke Kikuchi ❤😔 https://t.co/tcbrZaaoXJ— Gojo_1999 (@WaSahin) April 28, 2021A legend was lost today... Rest In Peace Shunsuke Kikuchi. Your music defined Dragon Ball. It has left its mark and won’t be forgotten.— Nick | Art Stuff (@Nik_ArtAD) April 28, 2021Man :( Rest in peace Shunsuke Kikuchi :( was just talking about your amazing work the other day shits crazy :(— 444 (@way2sticky) April 28, 2021Shunsuke Kikuchi, the composer of Dragon Ball has just passed away. May this legend rest in peace, I really loved the Japanese score for db and it gives me so much nostalgia.pic.twitter.com/rcMKS8IUtQ— Jason Klum (@PokemanZ0N6) April 28, 2021Shunsuke Kikuchi passed away today. This is very sad. I enjoyed his work on DBZ very much— Dragon Ball Z Abridged Out Of Context (@DBZAOOC) April 28, 2021Shunsuke Kikuchi is one of those great composers whom many shows without him would be lesser forYou can hear even as early as OG Kamen Rider how much his music radded to the madcap style that can be as bombastic as it can be atmospheric. Bar none The Definitive Rider OSTRIP— Sarracenian (@CSarracenian) April 28, 2021Devastating news to wake up to. Shunsuke Kikuchi composed countless pieces of music that defined our childhoods. His involvement with Dragon Ball brought it to life through his incredible musical score.We lost a legend today. https://t.co/4pDtAA138h— DBZimran (@DBZimran) April 28, 2021Rest in Peace, Shunsuke Kikuchi. Thank you so much for all the amazing music and memories. https://t.co/i13AOcaeG8 pic.twitter.com/RM1Uh1SURo— The Cartoon Cipher (@CartoonCipher) April 28, 2021I'm sorry to report the composer of Dragonball Z, Shunsuke Kikuchi, has passed away at the age of 89. "Cha-La Head Cha-La" and so many of his compositions really made mine and so many other's childhoods. Thank You for your contribution to my childhood Kikuchi! RIP legend 😢 pic.twitter.com/E6mTRenoja— SSJerry (@solid_saiyan) April 28, 2021Last thing for the night:Shunsuke Kikuchi will forever be my favorite music composer. My life just wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t for this man. Not only did he bring to life the action of Dragon Ball, but his music helped me connect with the world, discover new things. RIP. pic.twitter.com/dKjYwZ603C— SmugStick (@ShareYourEnergy) April 28, 2021Sad to hear legendary anime composer Shunsuke Kikuchi has passed away.His Dragon Ball score was absolutely iconic to me.Rest in Peace https://t.co/MhZlbBALCp— Munch Moore ⌛ ENVTuber - Debut May 15 - (@munchie645) April 28, 2021Kikuchi's family held a private funeral, and Oricon reported that the farewell party is "undecided."