Miyu Uehara
Encyclopedia
, better known as , was a Japanese gravure idol (glamour model) and TV personality, who gained popularity as a "poverty idol
".
in Kagoshima Prefecture
, the youngest of 10 siblings. 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.
She began to be known as a "poverty [poor] idol" because of her poor background, 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.
early on 12 May 2011 at the age of 24, after apparently committing suicide
by hanging
. Police reported that no suicide note was found but there were some illegible messages scribbled possibly by her.
Japanese idol
In Japanese culture, are media personalities in their teens and early twenties who are considered particularly attractive or cute and who will, for a period ranging from several months to a few years, regularly appear in the mass media, e.g...
".
Life
Uehara was born on the island of TanegashimaTanegashima
is an island lying to the south of Kyushu, in southern Japan, and is part of Kagoshima Prefecture. The island is the second largest of the Ōsumi Islands....
in Kagoshima Prefecture
Kagoshima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kagoshima.- Geography :Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu and includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest for a few hundred kilometers...
, the youngest of 10 siblings. She attended high school in Kagoshima for a brief time before dropping out. She moved to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
at the age of 17, and began glamour modeling while working as a hostess at a Tokyo hostess club.
She began to be known as a "poverty [poor] idol" because of her poor background, and after featuring on the cover of the Weekly Playboy
Weekly Playboy
also known as or WPB is a Japanese weekly magazine published by Shueisha since 1966.This magazine is not a regional edition of the American Playboy magazine; the Japanese edition of that magazine was published as Monthly Playboy by Shueisha until its cancellation in January 2009.-People in...
magazine, she released her first photobook
Photobook
A photo-book or photobook is a book in which photographs make a significant contribution to the overall content. The most critically acclaimed photo-books celebrate the creative work of an individual photographer, but can also result from the collaboration between a photographer and a writer, an...
, 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.
Death
Uehara died at her apartment in Meguro, TokyoMeguro, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It calls itself Meguro City in English.Meguro hosts fifteen foreign embassies and consulates. One of Tokyo's most exclusive residential neighborhoods is located in Meguro....
early on 12 May 2011 at the age of 24, after apparently committing suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
. Police reported that no suicide note was found but there were some illegible messages scribbled possibly by her.