The thousands and thousands of people who were fans of X-Japan are still puzzled to this day by the untimely death of guitarist hide. From what I have read about the tragidy, it seems that the night before, hide had been out drinking with his younger brother. They had come home and hide was pretty drunk so the lady he was living with put him to bed. About an hour later hide got up and went to the bathroom, never to walk out. Around 7:00a.m. the woman opened the bathroom door to find him hanging by the neck from it, he was unconscious. She called 119 (same as 911 in America) and he was rushed to the hospital, hide was now in a coma. I'm not sure if he died on the was there or if he died when he arrived. But either way, Hideto Matsumoto was promounced dead at 9:00a.m. that day.
Yoshiki and the other ex-X-Japan members rushed to be with one another and the fans and to attend hide's memorial service. Roughly 12,000 people showed up for the service, including bands such as Shazna, GLAY, and Luna Sea. Saddly, around 253 fans were so devistated by his death they had to be treated for an emotional collapse. 2 fans commited suicide by hanging, 2 male fans died in a car crash on the way from Osaka to Tokyo, 1 girl jumped from a bridge, but lived and another cut her wrists.
X-Japan leader, drummer and pianist Yoshiki came from his home in L.A. to speak to fans about hide's death and tell them to stay calm. At the Honganji temple, where the memorial service was held, Yoshiki said:
"I'm very shocked to here about his death. I still can't believe what has happened. Right now, he's sleeping with a beautiful face. I tried to wake him many times, but he's still sleeping. Between the five of us, hide was the one who kept his calm and thought out things. Even though I was the leader, he was the calm one who gave me good advice when I was being short tempered and emotional. Of course with all of the preasure he too almost lost his identity. But during the hard times, he would always give me a call. We would talk about X, music, friends, life, fans, almost anything. Je was like an older to me and sometimes like a younger brother too. We'd drink together and sometimes fight. But the next day he would come to me and say "Yoshiki did I do something last night? I'm sorry, I don't remember a thing." But this time, he didn't say anything back to me, sleeping. To all fans and friends, you all must be confused. I too cannot express this sadness in words. But we must understand it it reality. Everyone please watch over his eternal sleep warmly."
As Yoshiki spoke he had to constantly wipe his eyes, the paper in his hands shook and his voice was muffled. I don't know if the rest of the members spoke or if Yoshiki spoke for all of them. At the request of hide's parents, (? It could have been just his mother), Toshi, Yoshiki, Taiji, Heath, and Pata preformed "Forever Love" at the ceremony. |
