TV celebrity Ai Iijima found dead

Former television celebrity Ai Iijima was found dead at a condominium in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, on Wednesday afternoon less than two years after announcing her retirement from show business, police said.

Iijima, 36, was found dead in a unit on the 21st floor of the building by an acquaintance who went to visit her after she had stopped communicating. The police said they are looking into the circumstances surrounding her death.

Iijima grew popular in the 1990s as a variety show host and in other roles. Her autobiographical novel, "Platonic Sex," published in 2000, became a best-seller and was made into a movie as well as a television drama.

In 2006, she announced that her health had deteriorated because of kidney disease and other problems. She retired in March last year, saying, "It is impossible to survive (the entertainment industry) if I cannot find out my goal and dream, and cannot keep trying."