It was announced today that BUCK-TICK vocalist Atsushi Sakurai (櫻井 敦司) passed away on October 19th at 23:09 JST. He was 57.

He apparently felt unwell at the start of the band's October 19th live at KT Zepp Yokohama, sitting on stage to finish the second song of the night and being rushed to the hospital during the third. He unfortunately passed away soon after. The cause of death was a brainstem hemorrhage.

His family and close relatives have already held a private funeral service; a public memorial of some sort is in the planning stages. All scheduled BUCK-TICK lives and activity have been cancelled, with details on refunds to be announced.

BUCK-TICK is in a rare class of bands, having been active since their debut in the 1980s without a single member change. As the band's leader, it's no exaggeration to say that Atsushi Sakurai (櫻井 敦司) was partly responsible for the visual kei movement. This news has affected the entire scene, and the wider music community.

Rest In Peace.