Japanese child pop star Hirata Runa has died at the age of eight, her team has announced. The trainee of the girls’ idol group DIANNA Project passed away on September 25.
A statement from DIANNA Project said she died “due to myocarditis resulting from influenza”. Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle.
Her death was also announced on her X account, which said she had “passed away peacefully”. The group asked for privacy on behalf of her family and thanked fans and those who had supported her career.
Runa’s final performance took place on September 20. Afterwards, she wrote: “Thank you for today too, I appreciate it. It was so much fun.”
Eight days later, a message posted by her team said: “To all the fellow idols who were kind to Ruyu during her lifetime, to the fans who supported Ruyu, to everyone at the agency who made Ruyu an idol, and to all the people who were involved with Ruyu, thank you very much.”
