STOW, OH, March 18, 2013 — Audio-Technica U.S. mourns the passing of company founder and executive emeritus of Audio-Technica Corporation, Hideo Matsushita, on March 5, 2013. Hideo Matsushita passed away of natural causes at the age of 93. In accordance with his family’s wishes, a private wake and funeral service were held on March 8 and 9.

Phil Cajka, Audio-Technica U.S. President and CEO stated, “Hideo Matsushita was a wonderful person and a true visionary, laying the foundation for Audio-Technica to grow over the past 50 years. He exemplified true leadership, with commitment to and passion for music and an unmatched work ethic. His loss is felt not only by everyone in the A-T family, but also by the entire music industry.”

On the eve of A-T’s 40th anniversary in 2002, Hideo Matsushita reflected on the company’s early beginnings: “How it all started: I came to Tokyo at age 32, and, thanks to an introduction by my uncle, went to work for the Bridgestone Museum of Art. At the urging of the museum’s director, I began organizing LP concerts. These were much more successful than anyone imagined. After a decade at the Bridgestone Museum, I struck out on my own and established Audio-Technica in 1962.”

He continued, “The company immediately launched its first product, the AT-1 Stereo Cartridge. At that time, we were headquartered in a rented one-story barracks in Shinjuku. We started out with three employees, but quickly grew to 20. We worked late each night, stopping only for dinner at the ramen shop in front of the premises.”

Decades of successful growth followed, and in 1993 Hideo Matsushita took the position of Chairman, and his son, Kazuo Matsushita, became President of Audio-Technica Corporation, a position he still holds today. With their combined leadership, Audio-Technica has continued to experience steady growth, carrying on the legacy and vision of Hideo-san into the new millennium.