YOSHIKI (吉木), leader of legendary rock band X JAPAN, has collapsed from severe exhaustion while in the United States and received treatment at a local medical facility, his team announced. As a result, his planned appearances at events in Japan and the livestream of “YOSHIKI Channel” scheduled for September 21 have both been canceled.
According to the announcement, YOSHIKI had spent recent months moving rapidly between cities in the US as well as Japan, Europe, and South Korea for concerts, event appearances, and photo shoots. On September 17, he attended the 117th Anniversary Dinner and Gala Celebration hosted by the Japan America Society of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he received the International Citizens Award. His attending physician in the US attributed his condition to a prolonged, packed schedule combined with excessive fatigue. YOSHIKI is currently receiving IV treatment and is expected to recover within a few days, according to the report.
He is still scheduled to perform at the 2026 Global Citizen Festival in New York’s Central Park on September 26, and is prioritizing rest ahead of that appearance. In a statement, YOSHIKI said, “I’m sorry to have worried everyone. I’m currently resting and receiving IV treatment under my doctor’s guidance. Over the past few months I’ve been moving around the world nonstop, and it seems I had accumulated more fatigue than I realized. My top priority right now is getting my health back, and I’m focused on recovering so I can show everyone a healthy version of myself in Central Park on September 26.”
Who is YOSHIKI?
YOSHIKI is a songwriter, composer, and the leader of X JAPAN, where he plays piano and drums. Beyond the band, he has composed music for the Emperor’s enthronement anniversary ceremony, the official theme song of Expo 2005 Aichi, Hollywood film themes, and the official Golden Globe Awards theme song. X JAPAN has sold more than 30 million albums and singles combined, sold out the Tokyo Dome 18 times, and headlined Madison Square Garden in 2014 and Wembley Arena in 2017. Combined with a solo performance at Carnegie Hall, YOSHIKI became the first Asian artist to conquer what are considered the three most prestigious concert venues in music. In October 2023, he became the first Japanese artist to hold concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, the Dolby Theatre, and Carnegie Hall. Outside music, he has appeared as the first Japanese man on the cover of Vogue Japan, designs the kimono brand YOSHIKIMONO and the label Maison YOSHIKI Paris, and made his directorial debut with the 2023 film “YOSHIKI: Under the Sky.” He also runs the US nonprofit Yoshiki Foundation America and was honored with a hand- and footprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre in 2023. In 2025, he became the first Japanese or Asian artist named to TIME’s “100 Most Influential People” list and was inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame. In July 2026, he performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, where he and Josh Groban performed “Forever Love” together, with the live recording released in August.
Author’s Comment
Look, when a man who has sold out Tokyo Dome eighteen times, played Carnegie Hall, Wembley, and Madison Square Garden, and still finds time to design kimono and direct a movie finally collapses from exhaustion, my first reaction isn’t shock — it’s relief that his body finally sent the memo. I’ve watched this man run himself ragged across three continents for decades in the name of "the show must go on," and honestly, it’s about time someone told him to sit down. Japanese fans online are doing exactly what you’d expect: flooding his socials with "please rest" messages while quietly worrying he’ll drag himself to Central Park on September 26 anyway, IV drip and all, because that’s just who he is. I love a man who conquers three continents’ worth of concert halls, but I’d love him a lot longer if he learned that rest isn’t the enemy of legacy.
