RIP Taiji Sawada (July 12, 1966 – July 17, 2011)

Taiji Sawada of X Japan and LOUDNESS fame has died at 11am yesterday morning, in Saipan. This event came about after the bassist became agitated on a flight to Saipan, and was arrested for assaulting a flight attendant. He then attempted to hang himself with the bedsheets during the night and was rushed to the hospital Thursday night. His family made the decision to unhook life suppport. Taiji and the HEAVEN’s  were about to start promotional activities in Korea.

I’m really not sure what to say here. Taiji was very influential on what Japanese rock is today, and millions of people will miss him. There’s truckloads of youtube videos, CDs, et cetera floating around. Some of the younger fans have no idea who he is. Either way, Taiji’s death signals the beginning of the end of an era. He will be missed.

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1. Loudness USA Tour 2011
2. Dir En Grey DIFFERENT SENSE PV Out!
3. UFO’s in Shinjuku – May 8th, 2011
4. Q-Pop throws a Hamburger Party, Big In Japan, and Tune in Tokyo at Anime Expo 2011
5. LA’s Anime Expo hosting Hatsune Miku’s first US live performance on July 2nd