Hideki Yoshimura, vocalist and guitarist of noise-punk band Bloodthirsty Butchers has died of acute heart failure at age 46, it was announced Thursday.
Yoshimura passed away May 27 and his family held a private funeral service, according to the band's official website.
Record label King Records said all Bloodthirsty Butchers concerts and festival appearances in June and July have been canceled.
According to a statement on the band's homepage, Bloodthirsty Butchers had recently completed a new album that Yoshimura had called his "masterpiece," and proof that "hardcore is still here!"
The Bloodthirsty Butchers formed in Hokkaido in 1987. Their last release was a collection of 12 CDs and one DVD titled "Chi ni Ueta Shihan Seiki" ("A Bloodthirsty Quarter Century"), for their 25th anniversary.
The four-piece appeared on the White Stage at the Fuji Rock Festival in 2010 and have performed with overseas acts such as Fugazi, Beck and The Flaming Lips.