Sei Ashina Dead - 'Silk' Star Dies at 36

Sei Ashina has sadly died at the age of 36.

The Japanese actress was found dead in her apartment on Monday (September 14) in Tokyo, her management company confirmed on Tuesday (September 15), People reported.

Her death was confirmed to be due to suicide by both Tokyo police and her agency, Variety reported.

She was born in 1983 in Fukushima Prefecture as Igarashi Aya, and came to Tokyo as a teenager, working as a fashion model. She made her acting debut in 2002 in the TBS network drama The Tail of Happiness (Shiawase no Shippo). She was also cast alongside Michael Pitt and Keira Knightley in the 2007 François Girard historical drama Silk, a Japanese, Canadian and Italian co-production.

She also starred in 2010′s Kazuya Konaka drama Nanase: The Psychic Wanderers and had a recurring role from 2017 to this year in the popular TV Asahi series Aibo: Tokyo Detective Duo. She also worked as a voice actor, including the lead role of Emily Thorne in the 2011 US series Revenge.

“No note was found in Ashina’s apartment and no motive has yet been put forward for her suicide. Her body was discovered by her brother after she stopped answering messages and phone calls on Sept. 13,” the outlet also reported.

f you or someone you know is in crisis in the United States, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. If you are international, please click here for a list of numbers to call in your country.