Drummer Yukihiro Takahashi, lead singer of Yellow Magic Orchestra, dead at 70

Japanese musician Yukihiro Takahashi, who helped found the electronic band Yellow Magic Orchestra, has died, according to an announcement released Saturday night. He was 70.

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Takahashi’s office released a statement to The Japan Times and NHK, confirming Takahashi’s death on Wednesday, Rolling Stone reported. The cause of death was listed as aspiration pneumonia, according to the magazine.

Takahashi underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor in 2020, the Times reported.

Born in Tokyo in 1952, Takahashi became a session drummer when he was still in high school, the newspaper reported. His rise to fame came after he was recruited to play drums in 1972 for the glam rock quartet, Sadistic Mika Band, according to the Times.

The group achieved success in the United Kingdom, opening for Roxy Music during that group’s Siren Tour in 1975-76, Rolling Stone reported.

After the Sadistic Mika Band broke up, Takahashi formed the synth-pop group Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978 with vocalist Ryuichi Sakamoto and keyboard player Haruomi Hosono, the Times reported.

Their first single “Computer Game,” which appeared on their debut album, became a surprise worldwide hit in 1979, reaching the Top 20 in the U.K. and causing a ripple in the U.S., according to Rolling Stone.

Takahashi played drums and composed some of the group’s biggest hits, including “Rydeen” in 1980, the Times reported.

After Takahashi’s death was announced, Sakamoto posted a gray square on social media, which served a vessel for fans to leave tributes, Rolling Stone reported.

“Saddened to hear about the passing of Yukihiro Takahashi of Yellow Magic Orchestra and beyond,” the band Sparks tweeted. “It was an honor to cross paths on occasion throughout the years.”

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