Koji Suzuki has sadly passed away.
The legendary Japanese horror writer, best known for penning the Ring book franchise that led to over a dozen films, died at the age of 68 in Tokyo, Japan.
Japanese newspaper Asahi reports that the author died at a hospital on May 8. A cause of death was not yet made public.
The author’s Ring series, which spawned the iconic character of Sadako (or Samara in the U.S. remakes), led to the 1998 classic Ringu, as well as the 2002 American remake starring Naomi Watts.
He is largely responsible for what would become the J-Horror wave in the ’90s and early ’00s, exposing audiences worldwide to Japanese horror.
Koji Suzuki also wrote the short story collection Dark Water, which went on to become another majorly popular Japanese horror movie in 2002, followed by the 2005 American remake.
His books included the Ring series (1991’s Ring, 1995’s Spiral, 1998’s Loop, 1999’s Birthday, 2012’s S and 2013’s Tide), and his works also inspired other movies including Open Water 2: Adrift, as well as the “Dream Cruise” episode of Masters of Horror.
Ubiquitous, his final novel, was released in 2025, with an English translation reportedly on the way as of last year. Here’s the synopsis:
Humanity, despair in utter despair. The king of Japanese horror, his first completely new work in 16 years! Detective Maezawa Keiko is investigating a series of sudden deaths of unknown causes, when she discovers a strange parallel with an incident that once occurred within a new religious cult. Keiko and unorthodox physicist Tsuyuki Shinya realize that there is a connection between the incident and the Voynich Manuscript. However, at that time, many residents in Tokyo and its suburbs had begun to lose their lives.
Koji Suzuki was often referred to as “the Stephen King of Japan.” In total, all of the Ring-inspired films alone have grossed over $654 million worldwide.
We share our deepest condolences with Koji Suzuki‘s loved ones at this incredibly difficult time.
We have sadly lost many stars in 2026.
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