Babymetal Guitarist Mikio “Ko-Gami” Fujioka Has Died at 36 Years Old After Falling from Observation Deck

The three teenagers that front Babymetal are the obvious focal point of the band, but anyone who’s seen them live (or even listened to them on record) can attest to how important the backing band is to Babymetal’s overall appeal and how skilled all the musicians are. Very sad news to report today as Mikio Fujioka, one of the guitarists of the Kami band, as they’re known, has died at just 36 years old. He was known to fans of the band by his stage name of Ko-Gami or the “The Little God.”

Babymetal broke the news to the world via Facebook today. Their post doesn’t mention a cause of death, but the UK site Metro is reporting that Fujioka fell from an “observation deck” on December 30th. The meaning of “observation deck” is a bit unclear, and that interpretation could be due to a language barrier — was Fujioka rehearsing with Babymetal and fell from the rafters? was he sightseeing from the top of a tall building? — but the accident is tragic and brutal no matter what the specifics. He was rushed to the hospital but his health rapidly deteriorated and he died on January 5th with his two daughters by his side.

Babymetal’s statement reads:

‪The “Little” Guitar Kami of #BABYMETAL ‘s #Kamiband has passed away in the METAL GALAXIES. We hope that he is now with his GUITAR MASTER A.Holdsworth and enjoying an epic guitar session with him. ‬

We are the one‬
‪Together‬
‪We’re the only one‬
‪You are the one‬
‪Forever‬
‪#RIP #THEONE ‬

Wishing all the best for Fujioka’s family and friends, not the least of which those poor little girls who must be stricken with grief at the moment. We’ll keep you posted on any developments.

[via Loudwire]