Bruce Springsteen has posted a heartfelt tribute to Seijiro Udo, a renowned Japanese concert promoter, who died on October 15 at age 92. Springsteen was one of many famous music stars who Udo and his company, UDO Artists Inc., brought to Japan to tour over the last 50-plus years.
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“I was saddened to learn … of the death of our extraordinary Japanese promoter, Seijiro Udo, at 92,” the Boss wrote in a message posted on his official website. “He was known to all of us as ‘Mr. Udo,’ and he was simply one of a kind. A perfect host and gracious guide to his beloved Japan, he was always dressed in his signature perfectly tailored suit and tie no matter the occasion. He was also a brilliant and driven concert promoter who took extraordinary care with even the tiniest details, an absolute master of his profession.”
He added, “Along with tour leaders Jon Landau and George Travis, I extend our deepest condolences to his family and dedicated team. He will be missed.”
Accompanying the message was a photo of Springsteen, longtime manager Landau, and Udo together on a subway in 1988.
A post on the UDO Artists Facebook page announcing Udo’s passing reported that he died “due to senility.” The message also explained that Udo founded the company in 1967, and praised him for the important impact he made on Japan’s touring industry.
“He was a pioneer in bringing Western music to Japan and had lived his life more than anything else to please music fans,” the tribute noted. “He went on to bring hundreds of major international acts to Japan such as Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, KISS, Aerosmith, Santana, Jeff Beck, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Billy Joel, Bon Jovi, George Harrison, The Who, Van Halen, TOTO, and Bryan Adams to name a few, and held over 10,000 concerts in Japan.”
A number of other well-known artists also paid homage to Mr. Udo on their social media pages. Here are a few of those tributes:
Journey guitarist Neal Schon: I’m so very saddened to hear of the passing of my great friend Mr UDO. He always treated us incredibly well. We had many great years of love Laughter & success together. God Bless you Sir RIP.
Toto: “Since 1980, we’ve loved, respected and appreciated Mr. Udo. So many memories made through the decades. He was a dear friend of ours through the years, and we’ll miss him. Sending love and kind thoughts on his passing to the Udo family and staff.
Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx: “RIP Mr Udo…One of the best men I’ve ever met. Thank you for so much advice when I was younger and for a million laughs all my times in Japan. 💔 What a wonderful life. 92 years of age.”
Photo by Amy Sussman/WireImage
