hide

Hideto Matsumoto (松本 秀人 Matsumoto Hideto, December 13, 1964 – May 2, 1998 in Yokosuka, Japan), or hide (always spelled with lowercase h and pronounced hee-deh), was a Visual kei J-Rock musician. After achi

Hideto Matsumoto (松本 秀人 Matsumoto Hideto, December 13, 1964 – May 2, 1998 in Yokosuka, Japan), or hide (always spelled with lowercase h and pronounced hee-deh), was a Visual kei J-Rock musician. After achieving stardom as a guitarist in the influential visual kei group X Japan, hide also took part in the American collaboration Zilch. hide enjoyed additional (and considerable) success as a solo artist, in which he provided his own vocals in addition to songwriting and playing guitar. He also organized and creatively managed the group hide with Spread Beaver.

hide passed away on May 2nd, 1998. After a night of drinking, hide was found the next day strangled by a towel hanging from a doorknob. Although police declared his death to be suicide, friends and fans alike have openly disputed this claim. The hide museum in Yokosuka was posthumously constructed in hide’s honor. It opened on the second anniversary of his death on May 2nd, 2000. The museum features many of his costumes, guitars, and personal possessions. The hide museum has closed on September 25th, 2005.