World-renowned fiddler Shoji Tabuchi, a longtime entertainer in Branson, Missouri, died Friday, Aug. 11 at age 79.
Shoji was considered a legend in Orange. In 1993 Shoji sold out SIX performances at the Lutcher Theater. 8,697 people traveled from all over the U.S. to see him perform. He would return in 2012 for a Christmas Show.
Retired Lutcher Theater Director Jim Clark said, ““Shoji Tabuchi still holds the all-time record for the most tickets sold, in the shortest time to the most performances at the Lutcher Theater in Orange. A class act, he brings our audiences out in droves every time and they left asking when he’ll return.”
Tabuchi, hailed as the “King of Branson,” had been a popular draw in the live music and family vacation spot for more than 30 years.
His first performance in Branson was in the early 1980s but by the end of that decade, he opened The Shoji Tabuchi Theatre. As his popularity grew, the size of the theater expanded and relocated.
He performed at his eponymous theater, which was later damaged in a fire, often appearing on stage with his wife Dorothy and daughter Christina.
“We are devastated and heartbroken,” Christina Lingo-Tabuchi wrote on his Facebook page. “Not only will he be terribly missed by his family and friends, he will also be missed by his countless fans throughout the world.”
The city of Branson issued an official statement on Saturday, offering condolences and describing Tabuchi as “one of Branson’s all-time, greatest gems. A trailblazer. A good man. A world-class performer. The much-loved Shoji Tabuchi. Thank you Tabuchi Family for your decades with us.”
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