Babymetal Guitarist Mikio "Ko-Gami" Fujioka Dead at 36

Mikio Fujioka, the Japanese musician best known as the resident guitar virtuoso in Babymetal's Kami Band, has died. He was 36. According to a statement from Fujioka's wife posted on the late musician's Twitter account, the guitarist died on January 5th while recovering from injuries he sustained in a fall from an observation deck — where he'd been stargazing — on December 30th.

Babymetal confirmed his passing in a Twitter post today, January 9th. "The 'Little' Guitar Kami of Babymetal's Kami Band has passed away in the metal galaxies," the pop-metal group wrote. "We hope that he is now with his guitar master Allan Holdsworth and enjoying an epic guitar session with him."

Born in 1981, in Hyogo, Japan, Mikio began his career in music as a guitarist and songwriter for Young Guitar magazine in the Aughts, penning and recording songs to help his fellow axemen perfect their craft. In 2013, he enlisted as a member of Babymetal's Kami Band, where he became known as Ko-Gami, which translates to "The Small God" in Japanese (a playful nod to Mikio's 5'2" height). In addition to performing with Babymetal, Fujioka lectured at a Japanese music college and authored several guitar textbooks.