NAGANO (Kyodo) Musician Kazuhiko Kato, founder of the internationally successful Sadistic Mika Band from the 1970s, was found hanged at a hotel in the resort town of Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, on Saturday, police said.
Local police said that Kato, 62, was a guest at the hotel and probably committed suicide, adding that an apparent suicide note was found in the room.
Police found Kato's body after hotel employees reported they were unable to contact Kato in the morning.
Kato, known for his ability to create innovative sounds, started his recording career in the 1960s as a member of the Folk Crusaders. The band's debut single, "Kaettekita Yopparai," which was released under the English title "I Only Live Twice" after the James Bond movie "You Only Live Twice," was a hit.
Following the breakup of the Folk Crusaders, Kato formed the Sadistic Mika Band with his first wife, Mika Fukui, and other members, and achieved international acclaim in the 1970s.
The Sadistic Mika Band opened for Roxy Music on tour in Britain in 1975, becoming the first Japanese band to tour the country. The group broke up and reformed several times.
Kato also performed as a solo musician and worked as a composer and producer for other musicians.
He was nicknamed "Tonovan" because he was known as a friend of Donovan Leitch, a Scottish singer-songwriter and British folk icon in the 1960s.
