Heath performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 14, 2018 in Indio, California.Photo:Scott Dudelson/Getty
Scott Dudelson/Getty
The rock band shared in a statement that the performer died of colorectal cancer, which he was diagnosed with after undergoing a medical exam in June.
“Despite his efforts to battle the disease, his condition declined suddenly in October, and he took his last breath in the hospital,” their statement added. “We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to those who cherished Heath throughout his lifetime.”
f X Japan poses together on July 8, 2010 in Tokyo, Japan.Jun Sato/WireImage
Jun Sato/WireImage
Close-up photo of Heath onstage at at the Yokohama Arena on December 2, 2015.Jun Sato/WireImage
According toDeadline, Heath joined the band in 1992 and played on the 1993 album releaseArt of Lifeand 1996’sDahlia. After breaking up in 1997,the band reunited in 2007and performed the following year, playing three nights at the Tokyo Dome.
Since their reunion, they held a 14-city world tour in 2011, headlined a show in Madison Square Garden in 2014 and released the 2016 documentary filmWe Are X,chronicling their formation. Theymade their Coachella debut in 2018andreleased their first single in eight yearsin July titled “Angel.”
Yoshiki reflected on Heath’s death in astatement on his Instagram page, in which he remembered him as a “wonderful bass player, a band member, and a wonderful human being.” He revealed that the two had become “closer than ever over this past year.”
“On my birthday last year, he appeared as a guest on my program, and we talked endlessly afterwards in my dressing room.There was also a time after that when we talked on the phone for hours until daybreak," Yoshiki shared.
“This summer, on August 20th, Heath performed as a guest at my dinner show,” his statement continued. “How could I have known that that would be my last performance with him? I couldn’t help make Heath’s wishes come true, and for that I feel fully responsible. I apologized to him when I bid farewell.”
source: people.com
