Influential Japanese musician Yukihiro Takahashi has passed away at the age of 70. Takahashi’s cause of death has not been revealed at the time of writing, though local reports have said that the musician had been suffering from a bout of pneumonia at the start of the year.
Takahashi was born in Japan in 1952 and first rose to prominence in the early ’70s as a member of glam-rock outfit the Sadistic Mika Band. Following a split in 1975, Takahashi and other members of the group continued on as The Sadistics, before forming the Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978 with bassist Haruomi Hosono and keyboardist Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Yellow Magic Orchestra – ‘Rydeen’
Famed for their eclectic sound and pioneering use of sampling and electronic instruments, the group took influence from the likes of Kraftwerk and disco music to craft a sound that proved wildly popular in their native Japan. The band released seven albums before their 1984 breakup, and put out another upon their reformation in the early ’90s.
Alongside sporadic reunions in the ensuing decades, Takahashi embarked upon a career as a prolific solo artist, going on to serve as a composer, producer and occasional actor. His most recent record, Saravah Saravah!, was released in late 2018.
In 2020, Takahashi revealed that he was suffering from a brain tumour, undergoing surgery to remove it later that year. He received further treatment in 2021, but did not share details with the public.
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