On April 27, 2007, he served as chairman of the funeral ceremony along with Tani and Inuzuka at the "Farewell Party" for Ueki. Kei Tani's funeral was held on November 11, 2010 is the last public venue. Sakurai was found dead at his home in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo on November 11, 2012 by his landlord. As of the 12th, it is reported as a "lonely death" due to illness. He was 86 years old during the time of his death. After that, Sakurai lived with his mother, but since her death in 1984, he has been living alone for some time. Although the direct cause of death is unknown, as a chronic illness, he developed angina in 1996 and was hospitalized. Sakurai left the stage where he was supposed to appear. He was recently found at his home and was seen shopping in an electric wheelchair.