18-year-old member of pop idol group Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku dies

An 18-year-old member of all-female Japanese pop idol group Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku died Wednesday, apparently after suffering an illness, the police said.

Rina Matsuno was transported by ambulance from her Tokyo home to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. Her parents called an ambulance in the early morning, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

On Tuesday, Matsuno was absent from the group’s performance in Osaka. She announced her absence through social media, citing poor health.

Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku, literally meaning “Ebisu private junior high school,” is an eight-member group positioned as a sister group of the popular female idol band Momoiro Clover Z.

Formed in August 2009, Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku’s motto is “the king of a school talent show,” with its members said to be eternal junior high school students.

Matsuno also worked as a model for women’s fashion magazine “Larme.”

LATEST ENTERTAINMENT NEWS STORIES

London film fest resurrects comedic universality of Laurel and Hardy

Laurel and Hardy, perhaps the greatest comedy double act in cinema history, returned to London on Sunday, twiddling their bowler hats to a delighted West End crowd as they arrived for the world pre...

Jamie Lee Curtis is back: 'Halloween' scares up $77.5 million in ticket sales

Forty years after he first appeared in theaters, Michael Myers is still drawing huge audiences for a good scare. Universal Pictures said Sunday that "Halloween" took in an estimated $77.5 millio...

Takarazuka Revue troupe takes its show infused with 'woman power' to Taiwan

Japan's all-woman Takarazuka Revue has kicked off its third Taiwan tour in Taipei with a performance filled with grandeur and style showcasing its unique brand of "woman power." "We are t...