This obituary is part of a series about people who died in the coronavirus pandemic. Read about others here.

TOKYO — Ken Shimura could make people laugh just by tweaking a traditional dance, mangling an English lesson or acting like a shogun fool.

A beloved comedian in Japan, he died on Sunday in the coronavirus pandemic at a hospital in Tokyo, the Izawa Office, which represented him, said. He was 70.

Mr. Shimura’s slapstick humor, physical comedy and naïve persona made him a household name in Japan for nearly five decades. Generations of children grew up watching his comedy skits and dance routines.