Babymetal: Japanese heavy metal band pay tribute to guitarist Mikio Fujioka – dead at 36

The Japanese heavy metal band tweeted their fan base on Twitter with the sad news that their band member had passed away.

Known as “Little” Guitar Kami, Mikio Fujioka, had been touring with Babymetal since 2013.

The band’s official Twitter feed today posted: “The ‘Little’ Guitar Kami of #BABYMETAL’s #Kamiband has passed away in the METAL GALAXIES.

“We hope that he is now with his GUITAR MASTER A.Holdsworth and enjoying an epic guitar session with him.”

The tweet continued: “We are the one, Together, We’re the only one, You are the one, Forever, #RIP #THEONE.”

According to Metro, Mikio fell from an observation deck on December 30 and his condition deteriorated until he died on January 5.

His Twitter account, believed to be in use by his wife, said his two daughters had been by his side in his final hours.

Before joining Babymetal, Mikio had attended the Musicians Institute of Osaka and toured with Trick Box and MMM.

The band had been touring with their latest album, Metal Resistance.

Babymetal are fronted by singers Su-metal, Yuimetal and Moametal and will return to the UK for Download Festival 2018.