Yoji Harada, Japanese tattoo artist who rose to fame on ‘Miami Ink,’ dies in Holland
The Japanese tattoo artist Yoji Harada, whose rise from lowly apprentice to ink-stained professional was documented on the hit TLC show “Miami Ink,” died late last month, the television network and his friends confirmed.
Harada, 46, died on March 27 in Holland, where he had opened an Amsterdam tattoo shop, Inked Magazine reports. His death came one day after tattoo pioneer Lyle Tuttle died at age 87.
“Another friend gone!! so sad. rest In PEACE Yoji. you will be missed!” tattoo artist Tommy Montoya wrote on Instagram after the passing of Harada and Tuttle.
“Miami Ink,” a reality show based in South Beach, ran for six seasons from 2005 to 2008. The “Miami Ink” studio on Washington Avenue quickly became a tourist hot spot, with camera-snapping fans often visiting the shop.
The show also helped kickstart Harada’s career, while preceeding the launch of several other tattoo-themed reality shows.
On the show, Harada worked as an apprentice to Miami-based tattooer Ami James, a graduate of Coral Gables High School and the owner of Love Hate Tattoos on Washington Avenue. James opened the second shop after a feud with Discovery Communications, which owns TLC and had exclusive rights to the “Miami Ink” brand.
On the show, Harada’s “initiation” to full-fledged tattoo artist consisted of his friends kidnapping him, stripping him down to his boxers and making him walk to South Beach from Little Havana.
After “Miami Ink” was cancelled in 2008, Harada continued to live in Miami Beach and work with James before he opened his Amsterdam shop in 2011, according to local news coverage, and had been living in Holland at the time of his death. He was a musician and entrepreneur, launching the baby clothing brand Ruthless and Toothless with a fellow “Miami Ink” cast member.
A 2015 post on James’ website celebrating 10 years since the launch of the show lists Harada as having been a resident of Miami Beach and full-time tattoo artist at the studio at the time.
James created a Go Fund Me to raise money for Harada’s daughter, Sydney, who appeared on “Miami Ink” as a baby. So far, the page has raised $27,348.
“We’re all trying to figure out what’s next,” James said in a video posted to the fundraising page. “His body is in Holland, and we’re trying to figure out how to get his body back here. It’s not an easy thing to do.”
“What I am asking,” he continued, “is anybody that wants to help out, we’re starting a Go Fund Me and all proceeds will go to Sydney, his daughter — my god daughter. We’re opening a trust fund for her.”
Love Hate Tattoos posted a tribute following Harada’s death, thanking him for “all our laughs, cries and everything in between.”
“We want to thank everyone who has posted, shared or written since Yoji’s passing,” the studio said on Facebook. “It’s been a week and it is still hard to find the words for how we’re feeling. Losing someone you love is never easy, especially when it’s someone like Yoji. He had a magnetic personality that you couldn’t help but be drawn to. A character to say the least!”
Chris Garver, a tattoo artist and former “Miami Ink” cast member, encouraged his more than 391,000 followers to donate to the fundraising page for Harada’s daughter.
“I’ve lost one of my best friends and it’s been really hard the last few days,” Garver wrote. “I can’t stop thinking of how devastating this must be for his daughter Sydney. She was the most important person in the world to him and unfortunately he wasn’t able to leave anything for her. If you can contribute to his go fund me It would be so helpful. Thank you.”
This story was originally published April 6, 2019, 3:14 PM.