was a Japanese musician. He was the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band Buck-Tick from 1985 until his death in 2023. Initially joining as their drummer in 1983, Sakurai fronted the band for 38 years and 23 studio albums, nearly all of which reached the top ten on Japan's Oricon chart. Sakurai and Buck-Tick are commonly credited as among the founders of the visual kei movement.

Sakurai released the solo album Ai no Wakusei in 2004, and was a member of Schwein alongside his Buck-Tick bandmate Hisashi Imai, Sascha Konietzko and Raymond Watts. In 2015, he debuted a solo project called The Mortal. After falling ill during a Buck-Tick concert, Sakurai died from a brainstem hemorrhage in a Yokohama hospital on October 19, 2023.

Early life

Atsushi Sakurai was born in Fujioka, Gunma on March 7, 1966, as the youngest of two sons. He shared a birthday and blood type with his father, whom Sakurai described as an alcoholic that he also physically resembled. After graduating in 1984, Sakurai got a job and continued to play in the band, soon after re-named Buck-Tick. However, he said being in the band was simply because he had nothing else to do. Their 1988 single "Just One More Kiss" marked their breakthrough when it reached number six on the Oricon Singles Chart. The following year, their fourth studio album Taboo reached number one and they performed at the Tokyo Dome for the first time. Sakurai married Buck-Tick's stylist in 1991. They had one son, Akutagawa Prize-winning author Haruka Tono, before divorcing a year later. He married again in June 2004.

Buck-Tick's Chaos After Dark Tour was scheduled to begin in December 1996. However, it was postponed after Sakurai fell seriously ill with acute peritonitis while at a photo shoot in Nepal. With his life at risk, he was flown back to Japan, where he was hospitalized for about a month.

Solo career and other work

Outside of Buck-Tick, Sakurai appeared on the song "Masquerade" from Der Zibet's 1991 album Shishunki II, and its re-recording for 2010's Kaikoteki Mirai - Nostalgic Future. He collaborated with Dutch band Xymox on the song for the March 1992 compilation album Dance 2 Noise 002. Sakurai provided backing vocals to "Koi no Hallelujah" on the 1994 album Flowers by Der Zibet vocalist Issay,

Sakurai and his Buck-Tick bandmate Hisashi Imai teamed up with English and German industrial musicians Raymond Watts and Sascha Konietzko to form the supergroup Schwein in 2001. They released one studio album, Schweinstein, one remix album, Son of Schweinstein, and held a Japanese tour, all before dissolving within the year.

In 2004, Sakurai released his first solo album Ai no Wakusei. It features music composed by a variety of musicians such as Wayne Hussey, Taiji Sato (Theatre Brook), and Robin Guthrie. He released a book of his poetry and lyrics called in 2004.

In 2015, he announced the formation of his second solo project, a band called the Mortal. The group consisted of guitarist Jake Cloudchair (Guniw Tools), guitarist Yukio Murata (My Way My Love), bassist Ken Miyo (M-Age) and drummer Takahito Akiyama (Downy). The mini album Spirit was released on October 14 and they played a five-date tour in November. The full-length album I am Mortal was released on November 11, 2015. Sakurai was the narrator of the 2018 anime film Neko Ki Kaku. He sang the song "Kakeochi-mono" with Ringo Sheena as a duet for her 2019 album Sandokushi.

Death and legacy

right|thumb|Sakurai died after cutting short a concert at [[Zepp|KT Zepp Yokohama.]]

On October 19, 2023, during a Buck-Tick concert at KT Zepp Yokohama in Yokohama, Japan, that was exclusively for members of their fan club, Sakurai was rushed to a hospital due to sudden signs of illness, abruptly ending the performance. According to attendees, he was visibly unwell during the first song, "Scarecrow", sat down to perform the second, "Boy Septem Peccata Mortalia", and was then escorted off stage by staff after the third song, "Zekkai". He died at the hospital at 11:09p.m. that night, at the age of 57. The cause of death was revealed to be a brainstem hemorrhage. Buck-Tick held a two-day memorial event for Sakurai, titled , at Zepp Haneda on December 8 and 9. It was attended by an estimated 20,000 people.

Sports Nippon described Sakurai as a "charismatic figure who led the rock world of the 1980s". The Mainichi Shimbun wrote that Sakurai was known for his handsome appearance and unique singing voice. Izam said he had admired Sakurai since his school days, and related how when he first met him, "it felt as if I had touched a god". Sakurai was posthumously honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 65th Japan Record Awards on December 30, 2023.

In 2011, Japanese rock music critics writing for Metropolis included Sakurai in their Pantheon of Japanese Rock Gods. According to Shweta Basu, the musician's good looks and "aloof and dangerous aura" inspired many fictional characters, most notably the rock singer Kouji Nanjo in the manga series Zetsuai 1989. Manga artist Ami Shibata, creator of Papuwa and Jibaku-kun, admitted she modeled several of her characters in his image. Mucc frontman Tatsuro cited Sakurai as the vocalist who has influenced him the most, including his lyrics and stage presence.

Discography

;Singles

  • "Sacrifice" (May 26, 2004), Oricon Singles Chart Peak Position: #25
  • #22

;DVDs

  • Longinus (August 25, 2004, short film), Oricon DVDs Chart Peak Position: #16
  • #47
  • I am Mortal (November 11, 2015) #12