Yasunori Arai, Who Played Drums For Slam Dunk’s First Anime Opening Has Passed Away
The band mentioned that Arai was undergoing medical treatment for “some time”.
On Monday, the Japanese pop-rock band BAAD announced on their website that their lead drummer, Yasunori Arai passed away on May 22.
While no cause was declared, the band mentioned that Arai was undergoing medical treatment for “some time”.
BAAD is popularly known for performing the iconic first opening of Slam Dunk in 1993.
On May 12, the band posted a live version of the song “Kimi ga Suki da to Sakebitai (I Want to Shout ‘I Like You’)” on their Twitter account.
『君が好きだと叫びたい』
こちらでもどうぞご覧ください⛹️#BAAD #君が好きだと叫びたい #スラムダンク アニメオープニングテーマ曲 pic.twitter.com/PGQSlwwPaA
— BAAD (@BAAD_official) May 12, 2023
The band’s website was opening in April 2023 to announce their return.
The band “reunited” officially or the first time since 1999 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their debut song, the opening of the Slam Dunk anime.
Events were scheduled throughout the year, beginning with a guest appearance on May 18.
Arai “strongly wished” to perform at the appearance, but his health prevented him from doing so.
Although the band reunited because of the fans’ wishes, both the band members and staff are “unable to accept the reality”.
This suggests that events may be delayed for an indefinite period of time.
A funeral for Arai was held before the news was announced. The band also thanked their fans for their support over the years, and expressed their condolences to Arai’s family.
Source: Crunchyroll
