Pop rock three-member Japanese music group Eufonius and composer and songwriter Hajime Kikuchi passed away on November 16, 2023. The group’s vocalist, Riya, notified the fans about Hajime Kikuchi’s demise through her official X (formerly Twitter) account.
As per Riya’s tweet, the 44-year-old composer Hajime Kikuchi suddenly passed away due to acute heart failure. Riya informed the fans that they had plans to celebrate the group’s 20th debut anniversary with all the members.
However, Hajime Kikuchi’s sudden passing had put everything on hold for the time being. Riya mentioned in her tweet that the funeral was private, attended only by close relatives.
She expressed her gratitude to all the fans who had supported the composer Hajime Kikuchi as a member of Eufonius until his passing.
Eufonius made its debut on October 11, 2003, with Riya, Hajime Kikuchi, and Masashi Okubo as its members. The group’s debut studio album was released in 2003.
Eufonius has worked on various anime opening and ending themes. The group is notably known for performing the opening theme of the popular supernatural romance anime Clannad.
Hajime Kikuchi composed the opening theme for Clannad, which will always be remembered as his notable work among the fans of the anime community.
Apart from Clannad, Eufonius has worked on many other anime projects for opening themes, such as Kokoro Connect, Konohana Kitan, and True Tears.
After learning about Hajime Kikuchi’s demise and reading Riya’s tweet, fans expressed their condolences to the composer’s loved ones.
Many fans shared memories related to the group’s songs and expressed how much they enjoyed Hajime Kikuchi’s work on anime projects.
Everyone was shocked by the sudden news, but fans have been sending their support to Eufonius, Riya, and Hajime Kikuchi’s loved ones through social media.
