[caption id="attachment_146563" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="Candies in 1977 (from left): Fujimura Miki, Itou Ran, and Tanaka Yoshiko"][/caption]

The funeral for actress Tanaka Yoshiko, who passed away earlier this week, will be held on April 25th, and it's been reported that her former groupmates,�Itou Ran and Fujimura Miki,will be giving the eulogies. In addition, the art director of the 1989 film "Kuroi Ame" (for which Tanaka won the Japanese Academy Award for 'Best Actress') will be in charge of decorating her altar.

In the '70s, Tanaka, Itou, and Fujimura enjoyed success as part of the iconic idol group,�Candies. After the group disbanded in 1978, Tanaka and Itou became actresses, while Fujimura retired from the entertainment industry. Even after the separation, the members remained close and had regular meals together. When Tanaka was admitted to the hospital this February, she told her groupmates herself that she did not have long to live.

According to a close source, Itou and Fujimura were asked by Tanaka's husband to speak at the funeral. Rather than a standard eulogy, the women will each read a letter addressed to Tanaka.

Source + Photo: Sanspo