Heath (musician)

Hiroshi Morie (森江 博), known exclusively by his stage name Heath, was a Japanese musician and singer-songwriter. He was best known as bass guitarist of the rock band X Japan from 1992 to 1997, and again from 2007 until his death in 2023.

After performing in bands such as Paranoia and Media Youth, Heath joined X Japan in August 1992, replacing Taiji who had left earlier in the year. They released two number one studio albums, Art of Life (1993) and Dahlia (1996), before disbanding in 1997. Heath then focused on his solo career, which he started in 1995, before forming Dope HEADz with X Japan guitarist Pata and former Spread Beaver percussionist/programmer I.N.A. in 2000. The group ceased activity after its second album in 2002. Heath reunited with X Japan in 2007 and continued to perform and record with them sporadically for the next 16 years, until his death from colon cancer in October 2023.

1986–2006: Early bands, X Japan and solo career
The first band Heath became a fan of was Mötley Crüe, followed by Deep Purple, Rainbow, and Kiss. He started playing in bands himself during junior high school. When one of these groups decided each member should have a stage name, Hiroshi choose Heath, which was derived from his nickname "Hi-chan" (ひーちゃん). His first known band was the heavy metal group Paranoia, which he joined in 1986 as bassist. They released one studio album in 1987 before splitting up the following year, with vocalist Nov moving on to the thrash metal band Aion. In 1988, Heath joined Sweet Beet as vocalist for a year. After moving to Tokyo in 1990, he was introduced to Hide of X through a common friend, and attended their Nippon Budokan concert in May.

In 1991 Heath performed at Extasy Summit '91, an event put on by X drummer Yoshiki's Extasy Records, with a band called Majestic Isabelle. In April 1992 he joined Sweet Death, a band produced by Extasy that he had previously played with in 1990. That same year the band's new leader Kiyoshi (who years later joined Spread Beaver), decided to change their name to Media Youth. Heath did not stay with them long, because in May 1992, Hide invited him to join X after a rehearsal with the band. Heath explained that Hide asked him to record with X as they were lacking a bassist and gave him a demo tape of about five songs to learn. After playing with the band in a studio, he received a phone call almost immediately after getting home from Hide, who told him that everyone liked him and to consider officially joining.

In June, Heath left Media Youth and on August 24, 1992, at a press conference in New York City at Rockefeller Center, it was announced that he had joined X Japan. At the same time, the band announced the changing of their name from "X" to "X Japan". Heath's first concert with them was the October 1992 Extasy Summit, and the following year they released Art of Life, which topped the Oricon Albums Chart. However, that year the members of X Japan took a break to start solo projects. Dahlia, which would become the band's last album, was released on November 4, 1996, and once again, it reached the number one spot. In September 1997, it was announced that X Japan would disband. They performed their farewell show, aptly titled The Last Live, at the Tokyo Dome on December 31, 1997.

In 1995, Heath began a solo career with a self-titled box set, containing a five-track CD and a home video, that was released on February 22. His October 1996 single "Meikyuu no Lovers" was used as the ending theme of the Detective Conan anime adaptation and reached number 10 on the Oricon Singles Chart. His first album, Gang Age Cubist, followed in June 1998. For the 1999 Hide tribute album, Tribute Spirits, Heath teamed up with X Japan guitarist Pata and former Spread Beaver percussionist/programmer I.N.A. to cover the song "Celebration". He reunited with them in 2000 when they formed Dope HEADz, adding vocalist Jo:Ya. They released two singles and an album in 2002 when they recruited new singer Shame and released Planet of Dope, but ceased activity soon after its release.

On December 29, 2003, the bassist announced a new project with former Craze vocalist Shinichiro Suzuki called Rats, but after the release of their re-recording of Heath's "Traitor", the project was ended on August 29, 2004. That same year he formed a band called Lynx, with Der Zibet vocalist Issay, but they did not release any recordings. In 2005, Heath restarted his solo activities after a seven-year hiatus. Desert Rain, his second and final studio album, was released on July 16, 2006.

2007–2023: X Japan reunion
According to a report by the newspaper Sponichi, X Japan vocalist Toshi visited drummer Yoshiki in Los Angeles in November 2006 to work on a song as a tribute to the late guitarist Hide. In March 2007, Toshi announced on his website that he and Yoshiki had recently resumed working together, stating that a "new project" would commence soon. Rumors of a X Japan reunion subsequently began, and in June Yoshiki was reported as having expressed interest in a tour and that he was in talks with Heath and Pata regarding their participation. On October 22, 2007, X Japan announced their reunion and released the Saw IV theme song, "I.V.".

In mid-March 2009, it was reported in the media that Heath was having issues with his personal management agency, that X Japan's concerts in South Korea on the 21st and 22nd were cancelled as a result, and that the bassist might leave the band. On April 20, Heath's offer to withdraw from X Japan was confirmed to Sankei Sports, but it was not accepted by bandleader Yoshiki. The day before their May 2009 Tokyo Dome concerts, Heath explained that he was questioning who he was as an artist, but decided to stay in the band after talking to Yoshiki.

In 2010, X Japan went on their first North American tour from September 25 to October 10. Their first world tour began with four gigs in Europe from June 28 to July 4, 2011, and was resumed from September to October with five shows in South America and five in Asia.

In response to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that occurred in Japan on March 11, 2011, Heath supported X Japan vocalist Toshi in eight concerts throughout western Japan in April. All of the shows were acoustic in support of nationwide power conservation efforts and also featured Luna Sea's Shinya and the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa. All proceeds were donated to the Japanese Red Cross to aid the victims.

Heath performed at the 25th anniversary concert of his X Japan band mate Sugizo that was held at Zepp Haneda on November 29, 2022. He played bass during "Enola Gay Reloaded", "Misogi", and "Tell Me Why?". Heath appeared at the "Evening / Breakfast with Yoshiki 2023 in Tokyo Japan Sekaiichi Gōkana Dinner Show" event on August 20, 2023, where he performed "Rusty Nail" on bass with Yoshiki on piano. It turned out to be his final public performance due to his death two months later.

Death
On November 7, 2023, Josei Seven reported that Heath had died from cancer in late October 2023, at the age of 55. A source told the magazine that the musician had felt unwell since the beginning of the year and that when he went to a doctor, he was diagnosed with cancer that had already progressed to an advanced stage. On November 11, an official statement posted on his website disclosed that Heath was diagnosed with colon cancer in June and died in a hospital on October 29, 2023, after his condition suddenly worsened that month. It was also announced that X Japan leader Yoshiki has been entrusted with organizing a memorial concert per Heath's wishes. A farewell ceremony for Heath was held at Spotify O-East on November 28. The event was attended by approximately 10,000 fans and 100 celebrities, including Pata and Sugizo, and featured Yoshiki performing a piano rendition of "Endless Rain".

Equipment
Heath used Fernandes bass guitars almost exclusively, mainly his signature model FJB-115H. He also had a signature model with Burny, produced by Fernandes, the DB-85H. When he first joined X Japan he used a Burny WB-X and then a Burny EB-X from 1993 until getting a signature model.

Discography

 * Solo
 * Heath (February 22, 1995)
 * "Meikyuu no Lovers" (迷宮のラヴァーズ), Oricon Peak Position: #10
 * Second ending theme for the Detective Conan anime.


 * "Traitor" (February 19, 1997) #35
 * Theme song for the TV series Toro Asia and the Sega Saturn video game Phantasm.


 * "Crack Yourself" (April 22, 1998) #76
 * Gang Age Cubist (June 10, 1998) #43
 * "New Skin" (2005, CD and DVD)
 * "Come to Daddy" (2005, CD and DVD)
 * "The Live" (2005, CD and DVD)
 * "Solid" (August 25, 2006)
 * Desert Rain (July 16, 2006)
 * "Sweet Blood" (November, 2009, distributed at fan club event Sweet Vibration)


 * VHS/DVD
 * Heath (February 22, 1995, sold with his first solo album)
 * Heath of All Films 1995.02.22 ~ 1997.12.31 (December 27, 1998)


 * Other media
 * Heath (March 30, 1993, music score book)
 * 「Solid」 (January 10, 2005, CD-ROM)
 * Six Nine Cell (2005, CD-ROM)
 * Innosent World (January 1, 2007, CD-ROM)


 * With Paranoia
 * Come From Behind (1987)


 * With Dope HEADz
 * "Glow" (February 21, 2001) #35
 * "True Lies" (April 25, 2001) #35
 * Primitive Impulse (June 6, 2001) #20
 * Planet of the Dope (July 24, 2002) #59


 * With Rats
 * "Traitor" (2004, comes with live documentary DVD, Dirty High)

With X Japan


 * Art of Life (1993)
 * Dahlia (1996)

Other work

 * Tribute Spirits (Various artists, May 1, 1999, "Celebration")
 * KING OF PSYBORG ROCK STAR (hide, April 28, 2004, "MISCAST")
 * "Red Swan" (Yoshiki feat. Hyde, October 3, 2018, guest bass)
 * And the Chaos is Killing Me (Sugizo, July 5, 2023, bass on "Enola Gay Reloaded", "Misogi" and "Tell Me Why?")