Kimiharu Nakamura (中村公晴), pianist of Crystal King and lyricist of “Ai wo Torimodose!!”, passed away on October 24, 2026, at 3:05 a.m. He was 74. Masayuki Tanaka, the band’s singer, shared the news the next day on X.
“To everyone who loved Crystal King,” he wrote. “Kimiharu Nakamura left us yesterday at 3:05 a.m.” (中村公晴が昨日未明 3時5分 虹の橋を渡って逝きました). “Thank you so much for loving him” (彼を愛していただきほんとうにありがとうございました), he added. The cause of death has not been disclosed.
The man behind the words of the iconic opening
Born on May 30, 1952, Kimiharu Nakamura played piano in Crystal King from 1975 to 1998. He was there for the band’s golden years, the era of their hit “Daitokai” (大都会).
For Hokuto no Ken fans, his name will always be tied to “Ai wo Torimodose!!” (愛をとりもどせ!!), for which he wrote the lyrics. The song opened the TV series in 1984 and came out as a single the same year, with “Yuria… Eien ni” on the B-side (see our page on the single). In 2026, Toshl covered it as the ending of the new adaptation.
Monsieur Yoshizaki, the founder of Crystal King, told the story of the song’s creation in the July 2026 issue of Young Guitar, which we covered in our feature.
Hokuto Chronicles extends its condolences to his family, his loved ones and the members of Crystal King.
