Gaga For A Cause - Pollstar News

The Japanese dentist who paid about $64,000 for a charity teacup autographed by Lady Gaga has died, but not before donating the valuable piece of crockery to Miyagi Prefecture, one of the areas devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Shortly after the disaster, Lady Gaga toured Japan and contributed the cup to an auction to raise money for victims.

Dr. Akihisa Yumi was the winning bidder. He was also involved in the task of identifying victims through dental records.

Dr. Yumi suffered from a severe respiratory disease and died in late February at the age of 54.

According to his sister, his wish was for the cup to “serve as a symbol of the tragedy,” which claimed an estimated 20,000 lives.

She presented the cup and its accompanying saucer, with the message “Pray for Japan” written on the side, to the governor of Miyagi.

Photo: AP Photo

Posing for a portrait in her hotel suite prior to an event at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.

“I hope people will be touched by Lady Gaga’s and my brother’s love for the disaster-stricken areas,” she said in a statement. Local officials say they may put the items on display in a memorial park to be built in the prefecture’s worst-hit area.