Babymetal guitarist dead at 36

The guitarist for Japanese group Babymetal has passed away at age 36.

According to a tribute post on the band’s official Instagram, Mikio Fujioka passed away in “the metal galaxies.” Fujioka’s wife tweeted an announcement on Tuesday, and according to the translation, he fell from some height at an observatory on Dec. 30, and passed away on Jan. 5.

訃報のお知らせ
ギタリスト藤岡幹大が平成29年12月30日に天体観測中高所から落ち療養の最中、平成30年1月5日夜容態が急変し娘2人に見守られながら享年36歳で永眠いたしました。

— 藤岡幹大(仮) (@mikio158cm) January 9, 2018

https://www.instagram.com/p/BduuTHYA5I4/?hl=en&taken-by=babymetal_official

Fujioka was a member of the Kami Band, the touring backing band for the Japanese teen trio, which exploded YouTube in 2014 with “Gimme Chocolate.” That video went on to see more than 81 million hits. Babymetal toured the States in 2016 and made its U.S. TV debut on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert—and found an ally in Rob Zombie.

Fujioka had been in the touring band since 2013.

H/T Altpress