Japanese rocker Tak Matsumoto cleans up in sale of Beverly Hills home

Japanese musician Takahiro “Tak” Matsumoto of the rock duo B’z has sold the onetime Beverly Hills home of crooner Bobby Darin for $8.75 million. That’s $250,000 over the $8.5-million asking price and nearly three times what Matsumoto paid for the property on Rodeo Drive in 2003, public records show.

“When it comes to the subject of the current luxury real estate market across the nation, Beverly Hills continues to be a bellwether,” co-listing agent Markus Canter said. “No matter where buyers come from across the globe, Rodeo Drive is one of the most famous streets and destinations in the world.”

The Spanish-style compound, which dates to 1922, was home to Darin during the 1960s, around the same time the singer-songwriter started his acting career. It was later owned by Noel Blanc, a voice actor and son of voice-acting legend Mel Blanc, who sold the property in the late 1990s after about three decades.

Set on about a third of an acre in the flats section of Beverly Hills, the gated estate includes a five-bedroom main house, a guesthouse and a world-class recording studio. Living spaces include an updated chef’s kitchen, a sun-lighted living room with a bar and a formal dining room. An expanded master suite has a separate office, a bar and two private patios.

A swimming pool with a waterfall feature and a dining patio highlight the landscaped grounds.

Matsumoto, 58, formed the Japanese rock duo B’z in the late 1980s with vocalist Koshi Inaba. He won a Grammy Award for best pop instrumental album in 2010 for his collaboration with Larry Carlton on “Take Your Pick.”

Canter and Cristie St. James of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties held the listing. Michael Rabbani of Rodeo Realty represented the buyer.