Popular pro wrestler Hashimoto Shinya, known as the “King of Destruction,” died yesterday at a Yokohama hospital of a brain haemorrhage. He was just 40. While a high school judo star in his native Gifu Prefecture, he lost his mother to the same condition. He became a poster boy in the golden age of Shin-Nihon Pro Wrestling in the early 1990s. Later he formed his own organization, “Zero One,” before retiring in November of last year and undergoing shoulder surgery. He had a history of heart problems, including an irregular heartbeat, and recently had been suffering from sleep apnea.
• Soul balladeer Hirai Ken (photo, 33) is to provide the theme tune for the upcoming Fuji TV drama special “Tsumiki Kuzushi Shinsou.” The show, scheduled to air on September 2 and 3, will feature last year’s single “Omoi ga Kasanaru Sono Mae ni,” which was used in a tie up for Toyota’s Corolla Fielder TV commercial. This is the seventh time for a Hirai song to feature as a theme tune.