Interest

Gackt Attributes Recent Hair Loss to Stress of Appearing on TV Asahi Program

Singer Gackt confessed in a blog post on Tuesday that he's developed bald spots due to the pressure and stress of appearing on TV Asahi's Geinoūjin Kakuzuke Check (Entertainer Rating Check) program. The bald spots are caused by alopecia areata, or spot baldness, an autoimmune disease where small, round areas of hair fall out.

Gackt appeared on the program on January 1 as part of its 65th anniversary. He starred with celebrities Hiromitsu Kitayama (Kis-My-Ft2) and Yuma Nakayama as part of "36-Correct Choice Streak Team." Gackt himself was paired with Golden Bomber's Shō Kiryūin.

Participants have to correctly identify a very expensive wine from a table wine, identifying the pitch of a violin and cello, the ingredients in a variety of expensive meals, find the amateur in a brass band performance, compare bonsai sweets, and discern between high-end beef and U.S. grade supermarket beef.

Preparing for the program put Gackt under a lot of pressure for approximately a month. The bald spot, approximately the size of a 10-yen coin, was first noticed when the singer went to the hair salon. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Gackt remarked that he couldn't help but laugh.

Gackt has appeared as a regular on the show since 2009, thus the high-stakes of his 36-choice streak. He told his partner that if the duo lost there would be "severe punishment," a threat that had Kiryūin swearing that this would be his only appearance on Geinoūjin Kakuzuke Check. Fortunately, they won and Gackt gets to maintain his win streak, technically.

Other members of the "36-Correct Choice Streak Team" included Johnny's members Hiromitsu Kitayama (Kis-My-Ft2) and Yuma Nakayama. Kitayama and Nakayama didn't maintain their streak, however, and failed one of the challenges on the show this year.

Gackt participated in the wine check in 2010 and admitted to having a sommelier in his home.

Source: Nico Nico News via Yara-On!, Image via Gackt Army