It is said that Kumiko AKIYOSHI, who played the lead in "Saturday Night at the Mysteries" and paid her last respects, told that she had not noticed his suffering from terminal cancer and that he had not seem to be debilitated.
葬儀に駆けつけた『土曜ワイド劇場涙・暗くなるまで待って』で主演した秋吉久美子は、監督が癌で死期が近いとは気がつかなかった、そんな弱々しい演出ではなかった、と言っていたという。