Guitarist Dies After Collapsing Backstage at Concert: Ricky Siahaan Was 48

Ricky Siahaan, guitarist of Indonesian heavy metal band Seringai, has died at the age of 48.

Siahaan died of a heart attack Saturday shortly after Seringai’s performance at Gekiko Fest in Tokyo as part of the group’s Seringai Wolves of Asia Tour, Japanese musician and DJ Freya Fox, citing sources who spoke with Tokyo police, reported.

“Ricky Siahaan has left the stage,” Siahaan’s bandmates Arian “Arian13” Arifin, Edy Khemod, and Sammy Bramantyo confirmed his passing in an emotional Instagram tribute. “Our guitarist, our friend, our brother, Ricky, has passed away suddenly after completing our tour-closing set in Tokyo, Japan. Ricky left this world with something he loved: playing music hard and hard.”

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Siahaan was a founding member of the heavy metal band alongside Arian13 (vocals), Bramantyo (bass), and Khemod (drums). The group formed in Jakarta in 2002, and released their debut EP, High Octane Rock, two years later. It was followed by the group’s debut album, Serigala Militia, in 2007, with Seringai’s most recent album, Seperti Api, dropping in 2018.

Paying tribute to their late bandmate, Seringai’s surviving members described Siahaan as “energy, laughter, and strength on and off stage.” They said they have “lost one of the most important parts of this entity.”

Siahaan’s passing came on the final day of Seringai’s Wolves of Asia Tour, which saw the group perform at shows in Taiwan before heading to Japan. Siahaan reflected on the tour in his final social media post just hours before his passing, wriitng, “Japan, we have lift off. Show number 4, Merry Go Round Shinjuku was an effing blast!”

“Tokyo is one city that will never be boring. We met and talked with many new friends. Besides Indonesia and Japan, there were some friends who flew from Singapore and Malaysia too,” he added before going on to hype up what would become his final performance. “Merry Go Round wrapped, means there is one more show to go before we fly back. @gekikofest is a finale that we’ve been waiting for. See you tonight!”

In their social media tribute, Seringai thanked their fans “for all the love and support you have shown us since this news broke. You are part of our family, and we know you are grieving just as much.” The group asked that fans “give us time to grieve and figure out what to do next. We will keep you posted on the progress. Farewell chainsaw, riffmeister, until we meet again. Always, always, forever.”