Romantics Anonymous actress Yuri Nakamura dies at 44 after battling cancer
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Actress Yuri Nakamura’s agency said she had previously battled cancer 13 years ago.
PHOTO: YURINAKAMURAWOORI/INSTAGRAM
- South Korean actress Yuri Nakamura died at 44 after battling rectal cancer, which was first diagnosed 13 years ago and recurred in January 2025 with metastasis despite surgery.
- Nakamura had a successful career including a debut in 1998, acting from 2003, and awards like the Newcomer Award at the 2007 Osaka Cinema Festival; she starred in recent Netflix drama Romantics Anonymous.
- She withdrew from a 2027 NHK drama due to health issues, spent her final moments with family, and her funeral was attended by close relatives and agency colleagues.
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Japan-born South Korean actress Yuri Nakamura, who acted in Netflix’s Japanese drama Romantics Anonymous (2025), died on Sept 1 after battling rectal cancer. She was 44.
Her agency, Alpha Agency, said in a statement on Sept 14 she had battled cancer 13 years ago, but the actress and the agency president decided at that time to keep the diagnosis private. Her cancer subsequently went into remission, and she returned to acting and went for regular health screenings.
The agency said her cancer was detected again in January 2025, and although the surgery was successful, metastasis was discovered after the operation. She chose to focus on treatments that would allow her to manage her condition while she continued with her work.
Nakamura developed an intestinal obstruction in July 2026, leading her to withdraw from NHK drama Dangerous, scheduled to air in January 2027.
Her agency said she spent her final moments with her family. Her funeral has been held, and it was attended by her close family members as well as colleagues from the agency.
Nakamura was born in Osaka, Japan. Her father was a third-generation Zainichi Korean – ethnic Koreans in Japan – and her mother was born in South Korea.
Nakamura took part in Japanese talent search variety show Asayan in 1996 and made her debut as a singer in 1998 as part of the pop duo Yurimari with Mari Izawa, now 44. The group disbanded in 1999, and Nakamura was on hiatus for about three years before embarking on her acting career in 2003, appearing in several movies and TV serials.
In 2007, she won the Best Newcomer Award at the Osaka Cinema Festival for her starring role in the movie Pacchigi! Love & Peace, a sequel to Pacchigi! (2005) and a family drama about a Zainichi Korean family who relocated to Tokyo in 1974.
Nakamura has also acted in movies such as Love Letter From Heaven (2007), Like Father, Like Son (2013) and The 8-Year Engagement (2017).
She recently starred in the romcom Romantics Anonymous, which featured Japanese actor Shun Oguri, South Korean actress Han Hyo-joo and Japanese singer-actor Jin Akanishi.