GO:0010657

A form of programmed cell death induced by external or internal signals that trigger the activity of proteolytic caspases, whose actions dismantle a muscle cell and result in its death. A muscle cell is a mature contractile cell, commonly known as a myocyte, that forms one of three kinds of muscle. [CL:0000187, GOC:dph, GOC:mtg_apoptosis, GOC:tb]