Days after being hospitalised for coronavirus, veteran Japanese comedian Ken Shimura died of pneumonia caused by the virus on Sunday, reported Japan Times. The 70-year-old comic was admitted to the hospital on March 20 for symptoms of fever and severe pneumonia and was declared coronavirus positive on March 23. He was the first Japanese celebrity to contract the highly contagious virus.

According to the Japan Times, Shimura belonged to Higashimurayama city in Tokyo and his real name was Yasunori Shimura. The icon joined a Japanese comic series group 'Drifters' in 1974. The group later became one of the biggest successes in the history of Japanese Comedy.