Japanese musician and film director Yoshiki was honored at a special ceremony in Hollywood to unveil a cement tablet displaying his hand and footprints on Tuesday at the TCL Chinese Theatre's forecourt.
Yoshiki is the first Japanese star to join over 300 artists who have received the honor in the nearly 100-year history of the iconic theater.
He was chosen for "his achievements in music, fashion and film, as well as his charitable efforts around the globe," a theater official said.
Clad in a black suit, Yoshiki posed and smiled in front of his newly unveiled prints for photographers before greeting his many fans who gathered in attendance.
During his speech, he touched on the ups and downs of his career, including the recent completion of his world tour that he dedicated to his parents and fellow band members, and the death last year of Heath, his bandmate from X Japan, in October.
Speaking on his upcoming film Yoshiki: Under the Sky, he said, "The title of the film means even though the people closest to my heart went up to the sky, I'm still here. We are still here. Still living here under the sky. I will tell you myself, we should live as much as we can. We should live for them."
He also said he would be donating his crystal piano to an auction and giving all the proceeds to victims of the magnitude-7.6 earthquake that struck central Japan on Jan. 1.
Masa Endo, 51, who was one of many fans present, said that he has been a follower of Yoshiki's work since his youth and that it was an honor to be in attendance.
Related coverage:
Japan rock star Yoshiki's handprints immortalized in Hollywood
