Taiji Sawada was the bassist of one of Japan's most important heavy metal bands, X Japan. Active within the band from 1985-1992, Taiji suffered from various medical ailments in the late 2000s. Taiji was a victim of epilepsy, chronic strokes and necrosis. After being arrested for a violent outburst on a Delta Airlines flight, the bassist attempted suicide by hanging himself with a bed sheet in his jail cell, which left him brain dead and on life support. On July 17, 2011, Taiji's mother and fiancee took him off life support.