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.