This is becoming a bad habit.  Okamoto Shin, leader of The Jaguars, one of the cooler 1960s "Group Sounds" rock-and-roll bands in Japan, died on April 19, I've just learned.  He was supposed to attend a party commemorating his kanreki (60th birthday:  five times through the twelve-year Chinese zodiac cycle) that night, but when he didn't show up friends went to his house, where they found him collapsed.  His last public appearance was on a Feb. 27 "Group Sounds" special on the NHK-BS network. 

   You can hear The Jaguars' 1967 debut "Kimi ni aitai" (I Want to Meet You) here and their 1968 single "Hoshizora no futari" (Two Lovers in a Starry Sky) here.    If you're really up for having your mind blown this afternoon, the opening five minutes of their bizarre 1968 film, Susume! Jaguars Tekizen Joriku (Advance!  Jaguars Land in Enemy Territory) can be viewed here.  There are no subtitles, but understanding Japanese actually doesn't help much in figuring out what the hell is going on.

   RIP, Okamoto Shin.