Yukihiro Takahashi, a prolific Japanese musician who helped found the influential electronic band Yellow Magic Orchestra, has died according to an announcement released late Saturday. He was 70 years old.

The cause of death wasn’t shared in the announcement. Takahashi underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor in the summer of 2020, and tweeted a year later that he expected to undergo more treatment. According to Japanese news reports, Takahashi was battling pneumonia at the start of this year and died sometime last week.

Born in Tokyo in 1952, Takahashi became a session drummer while still in high school. His breakthrough came after he was recruited to play drums in Sadistic Mika Band in 1972. That rock quartet attracted critical praise both in Japan and overseas, specifically in the U.K., where the group appeared on the BBC’s “Old Grey Whistle Test” program in 1975.

Sadistic Mika Band also opened for British band Roxy Music, while their sophomore album “Kurofune” (“Black Ships”) has become an artistic milestone in Japanese rock, with Rolling Stone Japan naming it the ninth best album in the country’s history.

After Sadistic Mika Band broke up in 1975, Takahashi continued playing and recording with other artists across Japan. He developed a particularly close bond with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Haruomi Hosono, and the trio formed a synth-pop group named Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. Takahashi helped compose and play some of the group’s most iconic songs, including the 1980 hit, “Rydeen.”

YMO became a worldwide phenomenon and is considered to be one of the most globally successful Japanese bands of all time. The group inspired countless artists around the world, including early rappers in New York and techno artists in Detroit.

Takahashi also began releasing solo albums from 1978, starting with “Saravah!” He released original albums dabbling in a wide variety of styles in the decades that followed, while continuing to write and play for other acts. He also composed soundtracks for a handful of video games, most notably 1987’s Ginga no Sannin, and dabbled in acting during his career.

Takahashi remained active in his later years, continuing to take part in a variety of projects. A more notable one was that of the Japanese supergroup Metafive alongside creators such as Towa Tei, Yoshinori Sunahara and Keigo Oyamada (better known as the artist Cornelius).

On Sunday, tributes to Takahashi poured in via Twitter. Musician Akiko Yano wrote, “YMO Goes Forever,” while Takashi’s YMO bandmate Sakamoto shared a simple gray box.

Takahashi is survived by his wife, Kiyomi.