I'm honestly not even sure what to put on this page. Mr. Sakurai was such an incredible man with all sorts of impacts, so I suppose here I will try to list some of them.
I think it'd be appropriate to begin with the impact he had on his fellow rockstars. All sorts of artists have cited him as inspiration, such as members from Der En Grey, Mucc, Shazna, deadman, etc. At his funeral, many memorable artist were present to pay their respects, such as Gackt, Sugizo, Hotei, and Diamond. Endo Ryoichi came back into the public eye to offer his words, and Közi has been playing Buck-Tick songs as tributes in his honor. Tsuchiya wrote about all the tears Yuta shed at Sakurai's funeral, and 20,000 people showed up to the public one. Overall, the rock scene in Japan wouldn't be the same without him. He remains one of the few artists in the world who lived his whole life in the spotlight and remained kindhearted.
His heavy push for passion, empathy, and kindness has bled its way into the lives of many, including my own. Rather than remember him for his passing, we should honor what he achieved and stood for in life. He didn't choose to die; it's something that happens to all of us. Let him be defined by the incredbile life he lived through dedication and love. He was one of the most skilled vocalists I'd ever come across: he knew how to play other instruments, but refused the suggestion of playing drums or something for an event, stating that singing was his endeavor and what he was known for. He never boasted or saw himself as higher (in fact, he was incredibly insecure his whole life), always prompting him to improve upon himself to provide the best work. He was a legendary wordsmith, studying ancient Japanese poetry and educating himself on all kinds of classical and modern authors/poets to keep his eloquence fresh; despite his heavenly vocabulary, he never forgot that the meaning of his words are more important than their aesthetic value. He was a goth since his early days, loving the Banshees and Bauhaus like no other. Even more so, he was an overall lover of art, citing David Bowie as the man who had changed him more than anyone else. Atsushi's gothic taste started in his early years (late 80s), but stayed with him forever. He always felt most comfortable in black, Juusankai/The Mortal were absolute gems, and his life-long ardor for all stories of death and forbidden love are exactly what he's known for. Fans don't call him the Prince of Darkness for no reason!
As I believed I already mentioned, he was also a ginormous nerd (even outside of art). His lyrics were always jam-packed with references to history, paintings, psychologists, etc. He sought wisdom throughout his whole life, rendering himself as a permanent scholar.
He was also a very big fan of cats. It's one of those things that doesn't relate to anything bigger, he just loved them! There were probably more, but fans know of (I think) 7/8 currently. Let's all thank my oomf Eva for putting this list together:
  • Nya (Kanzi); white tabby in the 90s
  • Chibi; white tabby in the 90s
  • Tsubaki; white tabby in the 00-10s
  • Boo; Himalayan in the 00-10s
  • Maru; Scottish Fold in the 10-20s
  • Kurumi; Bengal in the 10-20s
  • Gacchan (Shuga); Bengal in the 10-20s
  • Possible 2nd Nya from the 80s
The artists who drew some of the little pictures on this page are as such:
  • The White Rabbit was for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by John Tenniel
  • The olden Japanese woman is Dancing Woman by Hokusai
  • The angel is An Angel in Green with a Vielle, some sources say Leonardo Da Vinci himself painted it, while others say it was an associate, particularly Francesco Napoletano