Miyu Uehara

Miyu Uehara
Born	Mutsumi Fujisaki 2 May 1987(1987-05-02) Tanegashima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan
Died	12 May 2011(2011-05-12) (aged 24) Meguro, Tokyo
Cause of death	Suicide
Occupation	Gravure idol, TV personality

Mutsumi Fujisaki^[1] (藤崎 睦美^[2], Fujisaki Mutsumi^?, 2 May 1987^[3] – 12 May 2011^[4]), better known as Miyu Uehara (上原 美優, Uehara Miyu^?), was a Japanese gravure idol (glamour model) and TV personality, who gained popularity as a "poverty idol".^[1]

Life

Uehara was born on the island of Tanegashima in Kagoshima Prefecture, the youngest of 10 siblings.^[1] She attended high school in Kagoshima for a brief time before dropping out. She moved to Tokyo at the age of 17, and began glamour modeling while working as a hostess at a Tokyo hostess club.^[5]

She began to be known as a "poverty [poor] idol" because of her poor background,^[5] and after featuring on the cover of the Weekly Playboy magazine, she released her first photobook, Hare Tokidoki Namida (lit. "Fair, then Occasional Tears") in July 2009. She had appeared in a total of 445 television programs and two television commercials by May 2011.^[6]

Death

Uehara died at her apartment in Meguro, Tokyo early on 12 May 2011 at the age of 24, after apparently committing suicide by hanging.^[4][7] Police reported that no suicide note was found but there were some illegible messages scribbled possibly by her.^[8]

Works

Films

• Yatterman (2009)^[9]

Books

• 10-nin Kyōdai Binbō Aidoru - Watashi, Ikenai Shōjo Dattan Deshōka? (１０人兄弟貧乏アイドル☆私、イケナイ少女だったんでしょうか？^?) (May 2009, Poplar; ISBN 978-4-591-10965-6)^[10]

See also

• List of people who died by hanging
• List of models who died during their careers in the 21st century

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "'Poverty idol' Uehara found dead". The Japan Times Online. Japan: The Japan Times Ltd.. 13 May 2011. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110513a5.html. Retrieved 13 May 2011. 
2. ^ "【上原美優さん自殺】 眞鍋かをりが生放送で号泣、上原さんに「ごめん」 [Miyu Uehara Suicide: Kaori Manabe cries, saying 'sorry' to Uehara]" (in Japanese). MSN Sankei News. Japan: The Sankei Shimbun & Sankei Digital. 13 May 2011. http://sankei.jp.msn.com/entertainments/news/110513/ent11051315380019-n1.htm. Retrieved 14 May 2011. 
3. ^ "Miyu Uehara - Zak the Queen 2007, gravure idol" (in Japanese). Zakzak. Japan: Sankei Digital Inc.. 2011. http://www.zakzak.co.jp/queen/2007/32uehara/top.html. Retrieved 14 May 2011. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "'Talent' Miyu Uehara dead after apparently hanging herself at home". Japan Today. Japan: GPlusMedia. 12 May 2011. http://www.japantoday.com/category/entertainment/view/miyu-uehara-found-dead-at-home-after-apparently-hanging-herself. Retrieved 13 May 2011. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "Uehara's Fierce Life, 'A Reembark' Ends Up Forlorn...", May 13, 2011, Asahi Shimbun (Japanese)
6. ^ "Profile of Miyu Uehara", Oricon Style (Japanese)
7. ^ "TV personality Miyu Uehara dead in apparent suicide". The Mainichi Daily News. Japan: Mainichi Newspapers. 12 May 2011. http://mdn.mainichi.jp/arts/news/20110512p2a00m0na005000c.html. Retrieved 13 May 2011. 
8. ^ "Miyu Uehara dies, 'Reason not found', her agency states", May 12, 2011, Oricon News (Japanese)
9. ^ "Yatterman Official Site" (in Japanese). Cast list. Japan. 2009. http://www.yatterman-movie.com/. Retrieved 13 May 2011. 
10. ^ "10-nin Kyōdai Binbō Aidoru - Watashi, Ikenai Shōjo Dattan Deshōka?". Japan: Poplar Publishing. http://www.poplar.co.jp/shop/shosai.php?shosekicode=80005440. Retrieved 13 May 2011. 

External links

• Platinum Production agency profile (Japanese)
• Official blog (Japanese)

Persondata
Name	Uehara, Miyu
Alternative names
Short description	gravure idol
Date of birth	2 May 1987
Place of birth	Tanegashima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan
Date of death	12 May 2011
Place of death	Meguro, Tokyo