Ryuji Higa, better known as Ryuchell, was a trans Japanese television star found dead at their agent’s office in Tokyo, check out their brief bio, age, cause of death, marriage and children, divorce, and more
According to reports, Ryuchell’s died just one day after Peco shared a picture of their son celebrating his fifth birthday.
Trans Japanese TV actress Ryuchell aka Ryuji Higa cause of death, obituary, bio, age, wife and family
Japanese TV personality Ryuchell found dead in Tokyo.
The 27-yr-old's cause of death not yet confirmed.
Ryuchell married a fellow model in 2016 & the pair had a son.
August 2022, the couple divorced after Ryuchell announced no longer identifying as male; much criticism online. pic.twitter.com/nA0trj4u2r— Rita Rosenfeld (@rheytah) July 12, 2023
(CW: suicide)
Model ryuchell has been confirmed dead of suicide at age 27. Formerly married to model Peco, the two announced they had divorced shortly after ryuchell said he no longer identified with male gender roles, opening ryuchell up to intense online criticism. pic.twitter.com/dcGivlO1Pb
— Unseen Japan (@UnseenJapanSite) July 12, 2023
Ryuji Higa (as Ryuchell) was found unconscious by his manager in the offices of a talent agency located in the Sasazuka neighborhood of Shibuya. He was pronounced dead shortly afterward. According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, the cause of death was believed to be suicide. pic.twitter.com/mwg9DCyZsX
— Yoska / Mr Quick / Move-Yo / DJ Bone (@TheRealYoska_) July 13, 2023
Authorities found the social media personality’s unconscious body on July 12 in Shibuya, after which they were declared dead just shortly after. Peco and their son were not present in Japan during the time of Ryuji’s death, but returned on July 13.
Ryuji Higa cause of death
According to reports, authorities are still investigating the cause of death. However, they are also considering the possibility of death by suicide. This is because Higa announced back in 2022 that they do not identify as male.
Condolence messages
After the news about Ryuchell’s death went viral, fans across Twitter began paying tribute to them. Hashtags like “Ryuchell” and “character assassination” have since began trending on the social media platform.
One Twitter user tweeted:
Your vibrant, joyful fashion style was so impactful and influenced gender neutral j-fashion forever. Your LGBTQ advocacy was brave and beautiful. Receiving mass hate on the internet is something no human is built for. Fly high angel.”
Ryuji Higa brief bio
Ryuji Higa was a Trans Japanese TV star, who was born on September 25, 1995 in Okinawa, Japan. They are currently 27 years old and after graduating from high school, they moved to Tokyo and initially started working out at a clothing boutiques located in Harajuku. While working there, they were also active on Instagram and eventually gained popularity as an influencer for advocating “genderless-kei” fashion. Higa reportedly served as an inspiration to people who wanted to explore the “androgynous” style of clothing or to those looking to create a new genderless beauty style.
Ryuchell is a prominent figure in Japan and is a highly influential personality within the LGBTQIA+ community. They are known for their distinctive genderless fashion sense, which has captivated the attention of many. Along with their fame, they also found themselves at the center of online social harassment campaigns targeting their personal life and non-conforming gender identity.
Marriage and children
Ryuchell got married back in 2016 with social media personality Tetsuko Okuhira, who is also known as Peco. The pair initially met when they were just 18 and went on to welcome their first child in 2018. Ryuchell and Peco often appeared on several television programs as a couple.
Divorce
However, in August 2022, Ryuchell and Peco announced their divorce after Ryuchell announced that they no longer identified as male. The popular social media influencer immediately faced severe backlash online following their decision. When the couple split, they initially claimed that they were divorcing to establish a “new kind of family” where they would still raise their kid together.
During an interview, Higa revealed:
Being able to fall in love with a woman allowed me to imagine a life completely different from the one I thought I would have and taught me joys I never knew existed. Somewhere along the way, I began to struggle with the concept of being the ‘ideal man’ and the ‘ideal husband’ and who I really was.”