[fuzz]

Name: Hideto Matsumoto AKA hide(Prounounced hee-day) He was also given the nickname 'Pink Spider' by Yoshiki.
Birthplace: Kanagawa, Yokohama Japan.
Birthday: December 13, 1964
Deathday: May 2,1998. R.I.P. Forever
Band Position:Lead Guitarist and background vocals.



On December 13, 1964, Hideto Matsumoto was born in Kanagawa, Yokohama Japan. From when he was little, hide loved the guitar. When he first started, he only played other peoples music, but slowly began to compose his own.
When he was enrolled in primary school, hide was overweight, and often teased by his classmates. He was somewhat of an outcast, keeping mainly to himself. In secondary II, hide went over to America to learn, and that was when he first got into metal music. He listened to bands such as kiss, that got him started on his musical carrier. In Secondary III, hide bought his first guitar. It was a gibson, and he loved it so much, he would often bring it with him to school, thereby earning the nickname 'Gibson'from his classmates.


When hide got back to Japan, he started the band 'Savor Tiger'. They only produced a few demo tapes though, before they disbanded. Oddly enough, even with his obvious skill and ease with the guitar. The failiar of Savor Tiger turned hide away from his dream at a musical carrier. hide then attended a beauty school, where he studied to become a hairdresser, inspired by his grandmother, who was the town's hairdresser at that time.


Not long after he graduated, hide recieved a phone call from Hayashi Yoshiki, asking him to be their band's guitarist. hide agreed, and in 1987 he joined the band X, later to become the imfamous X-Japan, in which the music touched our hearts, and led many others to partake in a musical carrier. hide's younger brother became his chauffeur, and would often cook his meals for him. hide said that he didn't like to work or learn, nor did he enjoy any sports, though he did like to watch wrestling on TV.


On May 2, 1998 at around 8:32 in the morning, hide died. He had arrived at his home, which he shared with his roommate at 6:30 that morning, very drunk. He was found by his roommate, with one end of a bath towel wrapped around his neck, the other on the doorknob. He was taken to the hospital, but it was too late. hide passed away that morning. The police wrote it as a suicide on his death certificate, but I, along with many others refuse to believe that. hide had too many things going for him at that time. X-Japan had disbanded the year before when their vocalist, Toshi, left. After that, hide, who had already been working on his solo carrier with other bands was planning on going on tour that summer. He had already released two CD's, hide Your Face, and Rocket Drive. He also preformed with Spread Beaver and Zilch. And, just earlier, hide and Yoshiki had been talking of starting a new X in 2000, and hide had been ecstatic about it.


Another thing was said, that many guitarists often get pains in their neck and upper back. A way to relieve this is to pull the neck back. hide would often do this at home, with a bath towel and a doorknob. That morning, when hide got home, he had been using this method, but had fallen asleep due to the effects of alcohal, not to wake again, inadvertantly committing involentary suicide.


It was known, that while drunk, hide would do many things he would regret later on, and never do while sober. He would often come to Yoshiki afterwards, and appologize while asking about what he had done the night before. He had even once said he scared himself while drunk.


hide had been in two serious accidents, one breaking his skull, the other, his ankles. Both occured while he was drunk.


A ceramony was held for hide's funeral, in which all the roads the hearse passed through were closed off, and thousands of fans lined the streets. It was a sad day for all of Japan, and many people all over the world in who hide and X-Japan influenced.


Tsukiji Honganji, A temple in Tokyo where they put hide, Yoshiki gave a speech to support the fans. It was hard for him, and all those that looked on. His hand which held the paper was shaking greatly, and he could hardly speek, for his voice was choaked with tears. Where the funeral was held, hide's guitars were lined up and put on display. They can now be viewed, along with his cars and other such possesions in a museum in Tokyo.


On the day of the funeral, tens of thousands of fans lined up to bring flowers to hide and sign their name. Sadly, some also tried to committe suicide, one succeeding. Two others were killed in a car accident. These incidents only made things worse. hide wouldn't have wanted his fans to die.


In 1995, hide went to meet with a fan who suffered from Periphal Nerve Regenerative Disorder. There are only a few people in the world with a serious case of this disease. The following year, in 1996, hide regestered for a bone marrow trasplant, and was accepted.


There was another instance in where hide helped out a fan. One such suffered from Aids. The boy had drawn a picture for hide. hide went to visit him and the family. They gave him the picture, and he put it on a shirt. Often, he would be seen wearing this shirt during concerts. hide, along with the rest of X-Japan were major supporters in helping those with Aids.





JAPENESE FANS MOURN ROCKER'S DEATH
By CHISAKI WATANABE
c. The Associated Press
TOKYO (May 7)

Tens of thousands of young fans shut down central Tokyo today in an extraordinary outpouring of grief for a rock guitarist who hanged himself. One fan followed him in suicide, and two tried. Helicopters buzzed over the Buddhist temple where as many as 50 000 lined up outside services for Hideto 'hide' Matsumoto. TV networks went live as ambulances carted away dozens overcome by emotion and the 82-degree (28c) heat.

Matsumoto killed himself on Saturday, leaving nothing to explain why. His group (X-JAPAN, one of Japan's most popular) broke up in September, Matsumoto had a solo tour planned for the summer.

'I can't believe he's dead',said Mayumi Meguro, a 21 years old part-time worker who took today off for the services. She stood in line with throngs of people in their teens and 20s, many in black, many with the brightly dyed hair that was a trademark of X-JAPAN. They waited to sign their names and leave flowers.

Initially unprepared for the turnout, workers at Honganji Temple set up a first-aid room after about 12 000 fans visited the temple for Matsumoto's wake Wednesday. By late today, 26 people had been hospitalized. Police sent helicopters, boats and about 100 officers to the temple. Another 170 private security guards were deployed to keep the fans from disrupting traffic. Alarmed by the response, Matsumoto's old band mates have urged mourning fans to stay calm. They have reason to be fearful.

A 14 years old girl was declared dead today after hanging herself Monday night at her home in Tokyo, using a towel tied around her neck, the same method Matsumoto used. Another girl jumped from a bridge Monday night but survived, and on Wednesday a 19 years old woman who attended the wake was taken to the emergency room after she cut her wrist with a paper knife. A monk at the temple, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the cuts were superficial. If precedent holds, more attempts could follow.

Matsumoto's death was only the latest in a series of high-profile suicides that have dominated Japenese headlines in recent weeks - chiefly of businessmen and bureaucrats linked to a government scandal. A rash of suicides followed the death of singer Yutaka Ozaki in 1992, and some parents standing in line with their children for today's service said they were apprehensive. 'I am here to make sure my daughter comes home afterward', said Kazuko Ishiwata. 'I am worried about her, even though she has said she wouldn't do anything like that'.







Yoshiki's Speech
This was the speech Yoshiki gave at hide's funeral
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm very shocked to hear 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 up 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 that pressure, he too almost lost his identity. But during those hard times, he'd always give me a call. We would talk about X, music, friends, life, fans, almost anything. He was like a big brother to me and sometimes like a young brother too. We'd drink together and sometimes fight. But the next day, he'd come to me and say, "Yoshiki, have I done 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 must all be confused. I also cannot express this sadness in words, but we must understand and accept this painful reality. Everyone please watch over his eternal sleep warmly.
X Japan leader
- Yoshiki

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yoshiki was wiping his tears with a white handkerchief, the paper he was reading was shaking, his words all muffled by his tears. This was read in front of the temple where hide's funeral was on May 7th.

[綺麗な氷]

it's hide not Hide

[Mari-san]

Hi didn´t Hide sing for L arc´en iel?Or how it should be written. There is one Hyd or isn´t?