Babymetal guitarist Mikio Fujioka dead at 36

(Image credit: Richard Isaac/REX/Shutterstock)

Mikio Fujioka, 36-year old guitarist in Kami Band, who back Japanese pop-metal phenomenon Babymetal, has tragically died.

The group's Twitter account announced the news on Tuesday, and his wife tweeted from his official account revealing that he'd fallen from an observation deck on December 30, before passing away on January 5.

His wife tweeted “We are fortunate to have fans and people concerned. I hope you will continue to love him. Thank you.”

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As well as performing and touring with Babymetal and Kami Band, Fujiuoka taught at a music college and had published 10 guitar textbooks. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

2017.12.13 MI-Tokyo Presents Master's Live @ Shibuya Guilty 藤岡幹大(仮)

A photo posted by @mikio158cm on Dec 13, 2017 at 8:52pm PST

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