Ryuchell dies aged 27: Trans Japanese TV star’s cause of death not yet confirmed

A transgender Japanese model and TV personality has been found dead by their manager at their agency’s offices in Tokyo. 

Ryuji Higa, better known as Ryuchell, was found unresponsive in the building on Wednesday night and declared dead shortly afterwards.

Police are investigating whether the 27-year-old fashion influencer, who announced last year they no longer identify as male, committed suicide. Their cause of death has not yet been confirmed, reports The Japan Times.

Ryuchell was found dead a day after his model ex-wife Tetsuko Okuhira, better known as Peco, posted a picture of their son celebrating his fifth birthday with a large cake.

The couple, who met when they were 18, married in 2016 and two years later had their son. But in August last year, they announced their divorce after Ryuchell said they no longer identified as a male – a move that prompted backlash online.

The couple said they were divorcing in order to start a ‘new kind of family’ where they would raise their child together. 

Ryuchell married model Tetsuko Okuhira, better known as Peco, (pictured), in 2016 and two years later had their son. But in August last year, they announced their divorce after Ryuchell said they no longer identified as a male – a move that prompted backlash online

Ryuchell was found dead a day after his model ex-wife Tetsuko Okuhira, better known as Peco, posted a picture of their son celebrating his fifth birthday with a large cake (pictured)

Ryuchell said in an interview last year they had struggled with his image as the ‘ideal husband’ when they were questioning their gender identity before coming out to Peco.

‘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,’ they told the Japanese women’s magazine Very in September. 

‘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.’

But Ryuchell faced harsh criticism for coming out and in February, they and Peco appeared in a YouTube video where the model defended her ex-husband and said she supported them as they discovered their gender identity.

Ryuchell, who moved to Tokyo to work in the fashion industry after graduating from high school, had gained recognition in Kapan for their role in popularising a genderless style of dressing.

Ryuchell performs on the stage at the Tokyo Rainbow Pride 2023, an event to promote understanding of life and sexual diversity held in Tokyo, Japan, on April 23. Today, Ryuchell was found dead in Tokyo 

Pictured: Ryuchell appears at an event in Tokyo in August last year – the month they and Peco announced their divorce because Ryuchell no longer identified as a male 

In the months that followed their divorce, Ryuchell became an influential LGBTQ advocate in Japan and often talked at Pride events in Japan – but with the fame came a torrent of abuse from users who criticised the TV personality for their gender non-conformity.

Police are investigating whether Ryuchell committed suicide amid the torrent of abuse. 

Shortly after their death was announced, phrases such as ‘character assassination’ and ‘Ryuchell’ began trending on Twitter in Japan. 

Peco and Ryuchell’s son are currently overseas on the US island of Guam in the Western Pacific. On Tuesday, Peco posted a picture of a cake for his fifth birthday. She is yet to comment on Ryuchell’s death. 

For help and support, call the Samaritans anonymously and for free on 116 123, or visit samaritans.org.