Chiba Yusuke Has Passed Away

It was announced today that Chiba Yusuke, the frontman of rock band The Birthday, passed away on November 26th at the age of 55.

This April, Chiba revealed that he would be taking a break from live activities to undergo treatment for esophageal cancer. The announcement stated that while he put his utmost effort into recovering, Chiba drew his last breath peacefully with his family watching over him.

Chiba's family and bandmates have already held a private service for him, but a memorial event for the public is also being planned for the future. Details on this event will be announced at a later date.

Known for his distinctive hoarse singing voice as well as his unique lyrics and performance style, Chiba Yusuke first rose to fame as the vocalist for rock band THEE MICHELLE GUN ELEPHANT. The band made its major debut with the single Sekai no owari in 1996 and disbanded in 2003. Chiba started a new band called ROSSO in 2001, which he continued to perform with after THEE MICHELLE GUN ELEPHANT's disbandment. He formed The Birthday, which remained his main project until his death, in 2006.

In addition to these groups, Chiba was also active as a solo artist, with various other side projects such as MIDNIGHT BANKROBBERS and THE GOLDEN WET FINGERS, and he also composed music and lyrics for a number of other artists throughout his long and prolific career.

Live footage of THEE MICHELLE GUN ELEPHANT performing Danny Go in 2002 can be viewed below, followed by the music video for Sekai no owari and the MV for The Birthday's 2008 single Namida ga koboresou.