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Attack on Titan Stage Play Acrobat Dies After Accident

38-year-old acrobat Kazutaka Yoshino passed away on Monday due to an accident. He was on the main staff for the upcoming stage play adaptation of Hajime Isayama's Attack on Titan manga and credited as an acrobat for the summer production.

According to authorities, Yoshino fell 10 meters (about 30 feet) from the fifth to second floor of the Maihama Ampitheater in Chiba, located inside the Tokyo Disney Resort, on Monday afternoon. Yoshino was inspecting the equipment for wire action sequences and suspended himself in mid-air using the equipment. When he fell, emergency services were notified. He suffered a cardiopulmonary arrest and was pronounced dead when he arrived in the hospital.

Police are investigating the circumstances of the accident.

Yoshino was a former member of entertainment company Cirque du Soleil, in particular its Mystère resident show in Las Vegas, and its ZED resident show in Japan. He was Cirque du Soleil's first Japanese performer on the Chinese pole apparatus. His official agency website lists him as an acrobat dancer and acrobat coordinator of "a major Maihama theme park" where he performed in many special events.

The Attack on Titan stage play is scheduled for a long run of 55 performances, from July 28 to September 3, at the Maihama Amphitheater. The play's website describes Yoshino as Japan's top male aerial performer.

Source: Nippon TV News