Who was Ryuchell? Japanese TV personality found dead at agent's office

In a shocking turn of events, Japanese model and television personality Ruychell is dead.

Ryuchell was one of the most prominent LGBTQ figures in Japan and gained popularity across social media for wearing "genderless kei," a gender fluid fashion style thatchallenges the stereotypes of fashion.

The 27-year-old, who uses the 'they' pronoun, was found in an unconscious condition by their manager at the agency’s office in Shibuya, Tokyo, on July 12 at around 5:35 PM. They were pronounced dead later.

No cause of death has been revealed, but police are investigating the case as a suicide, according to the BBC. However, as per the Japanese newspaper The Mainichi, the Metropolitan Police Department in Tokyo is looking into the details surrounding Ryuchell's mysterious death.

Ruychell's early life

Ruychell, whose real name is Ryuji Higa, was born in Ginowan, Okinawa, on September 29, 1995. They had an older sister, Chiharu Higa, who was a singer. Theybecame famous as an Instagram influencer, all thanks to their genderless fashion.

Marriage and children

Ruychell got married to model Peco in 2016. Two years later, in 2018, the former couple welcomed a son, Link. In August 2022, Peco and Ruychell announced their parting ways shortly after Ryuchell revealed that they no longer identifythemselves as male.

Ryuchell said in an interview with Japanese Women’s magazine Very, "Being able to fall in love with a woman allowed me to imagine a life completely different from the one I thought I would have and taught me joys I never knew existed."

"Somewhere along the way, I began to struggle with the concept of being the 'ideal man' and the 'ideal husband' and who I really
was. When I got married, I decided to take the truth about my sexuality to the grave."

The shocking news of Ruychell's death comes a day after Peco shared a post about their son's birthday celebration.

Sharing a picture, Paco wrote in Japanese, which translates to: ''Happy 5th birthday my son Thank you very much for being born, growing up well, giving me so much happiness! Being your mom, being able to make you happy every day, is beyond blessed! ❤️ I’m always so grateful that I can’t say it enough! What a 5 year it’s been~ lots of memories to be made.''

LGBTQ activist

After coming out in 2022, Ruychell was very vocal about LGBTQ rights, issues in Japan and has participated in many LGBTQ events, like Tokyo Rainbow Pride. They also actively participated in multiple queer TV shows.

Harassment and criticism

Ruychell faced major backlash soon after coming out and was heavily criticised online for coming out and dissolving their marriage. In February, Peco and Ryuchell shared a video addressing the criticism they had faced after ending their marriage. In the video, Peco defends her ex-husband and their decision to come out.

Soon after the news of Ruychell's death was confirmed, tributes started pouring in.

One user wrote, ''I can't believe it. May your soul rest in peace.''

''This is so upsetting'' another user wrote.

The third user wrote, ''You were everyone's hope for telling your thoughts straight. Rest in peace.''

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