Takashi Aoyama, the lead vocalist of the boy band Four Leaves, died on Wednesday morning. He was 57. Aoyama, whose real name was Takayuki Shiroshita, had been battling liver cancer since he was diagnosed with it in late October 2008.

Four Leaves was one of the earliest acts produced by Johnny's Jimusho. The four-member group first formed in 1967 and made their record debut the following year. They disbanded in 1978, but they reunited in 2002.

Last April, the group started a nationwide tour that was scheduled to end on March 29 of this year. After discovering his cancer, Aoyama insisted on continuing with the concerts while receiving medical treatment. The band had planned to put their activities on hold right after completing the tour. Unfortunately, his final show was on January 10. The remaining members will finish the tour as planned.

In 1977, Aoyama married talento Jun Shimada, whom he had two children with. He later divorced Shimada and married his second wife Megumi (42) in 1997. They gave birth to a daughter, who turned 10 on January 19.