Public Announcement of Dementia! Yukio Hashi keeps singing! Never will I be defeated!”

The latest backstage scene!

The man in white making a peace sign with a carefree expression in front of a lunch box on his desk is singer Yukio Hashi, 82, who was diagnosed with moderate Alzheimer’s disease on May 20.

The photo above shows Hashi backstage before the 20th anniversary concert of his “Yume Group” in Kurashiki City (Okayama Prefecture) on May 29. Although she seems to be suffering from the effects of her illness, such as repeating the same story and forgetting lyrics, Hashi made the following comment to this magazine through her office: “I will never be defeated!

I will never be defeated!”

True to her strong words, Hashi has continued to perform energetically on stage and perform music even after her dementia announcement. Kohei Susumu of the male unit “Yukio Hashi yH2 (2nd generation),” who can be called Hashi’s “beloved disciple,” says, “The day after Hashi announced his diagnosis, on the day of his 21st birthday, he was diagnosed with dementia.

Hashi-san performed at a concert in Odawara City (Kanagawa Prefecture) on the 21st, the day after the announcement. He turned to the audience and said, ‘Do you know my name? ‘ and she was so energetic that she greeted the audience jokingly. I went to pick him up at his home in the morning, but he seemed to be doing as usual. His appetite has not waned, and he is eating well in his dressing room. Sometimes his lunch box is not enough for him, so he eats his favorite food, bean-jam buns.

However, according to an announcement by Shigehiro Ishida, president of Yume Group, Hashi’s condition does not warrant optimism.

The first time I thought, ‘What? I stood on the same stage with Mr. Hashi at the 20th anniversary concert. I was standing on the same stage with Hashi-san at the 20th anniversary concert, and he said, ‘President, congratulations on your 20th anniversary. But within 10 seconds, he said again, “Mr. President, congratulations on your 20th anniversary. ……

What was probably hard for Mr. Hashi was that the audience laughed at him for repeating the same story. Mr. Hashi was once asked for advice, saying, ‘What’s so funny?’ The audience laughed even though he was speaking seriously.

In Akita, where he visited in April this year for a concert, he was asked by President Ishida, “Where are you? What are you doing here? At the Osaka concert in May, he was unable to sing the three songs he was scheduled to perform. Junpei Tokuoka of “Nidaime” recalls how it went.

President Ishida told me to follow Mr. Hashi by going out on stage and singing. I had often sung in the background for Mr. Hashi, but this was the first time I had to take the stage in a hurry. Hashi’s dementia is shocking, but those of us close to him were not aware that it was that serious, as it would not be surprising for an elderly person over 80 years old to repeat the same story or have memory loss.”

Hashi told President Ishida, “I lose track of what’s going on in my head. However, even though he forgets lyrics, he still exudes an aura of a star when he holds the microphone. Susumu, the aforementioned director, said.

No matter how silly he is in the dressing room, once he gets onstage, he turns on a switch. You can hear the sound of the singer’s mode being turned on. I feel like I can hear the sound of a stick in my back. I fall in love with her dignified posture, as if she has a stick in her back, no matter how many times I see her. I cherish the precious time I get to spend singing with Hashi.

Hashi also wrote the following words to FRIDAY.

I will continue to sing with energy.

Hashi is determined to continue to perform on stage as long as she can to please her fans, even as she battles dementia.

From the June 20, 2025 issue of FRIDAY