Hideki Saijo, a Japanese singer popular in Asia and best known for his cover song of the mega-hit "Y.M.C.A.," died of acute heart failure on Wednesday, his office said. He was 63.

The television celebrity took the Japanese music industry by storm in the 1970s and 1980s, rolling out hits including "Young Man," the Japanese version of U.S. disco group Village People's "Y.M.C.A." in 1979, and "Kizudarake no Lola" (Scarred Lola) in 1974.

Saijo, also an actor, debuted in 1972 at the age of 16 and quickly rose to stardom along with idol singers Hiromi Go and Goro Noguchi. Together they were dubbed "Shin Gosanke," or the top three.

Saijo had performed in other Asian countries since the 1980s and sang at an event on the eve of the 1988 Seoul Olympics in South Korea where public performances of Japanese songs had been banned.

He was also the first Japanese to sing in front of China's Great Wall in 1998.

Captivating fans with his passionate singing style and dynamic stage performance, Saijo produced a number of hits such as "Boomerang Street" in 1977.

He also appeared in the TV comedy series "Terauchi Kantaro Ikka" depicting a traditional Japanese family and the film "Ai to Makoto" (Love and Truth). In the 1990s, he gained popularity with "Hashire Shojikimono" (Run, Honest Person), the theme song of Japanese animation "Chibi Maruko-chan."

In 2003 and 2011, he was hospitalized following a stroke, but continued his music career while undergoing rehabilitation.