Hide died May 2, 1998, age 33 and Buddhist practices set a memorial for the 13th year after a person has died.

The event was billed as “Hide: The 13th Memorial, Our Pink Spider,” referring to the guitarist’s nickname. It took place at Tsukiji Hogan Temple in central Tokyo.

It was the same temple where Hide’s funeral took place. Because that event got totally out of hand, the preparations this time were more careful.

Nevertheless, as the line got longer, organizers decided to start earlier than the announced 12:00 p.m. starting time on May 2. Hide’s brother and business manager, Yuji Matsumoto, opened the ceremony at 8:52 a.m.

X Japan leader Yoshiki flew in for the memorial from Los Angeles, stayed a little while and talked to reporters and they flew back out.

The ceremony was a good opportunity to announce a musical called “Pink Spider” about Hide’s life. It will be staged at the Tokyo Globe Theater next spring.

Officially, Hide died by his own hand, though friends and associates contend it was an accident.

The guitarist was found in his Tokyo apartment after a night of drinking hanging from a towel that had been tied to a doorknob.