My first guess is verticillium wilt.

Ditto. It is a very opportunistic pathogen, so there could be all kinds of potential stressors as a cause. And it is becoming increasingly common here.

And not a dang thing you can do about it. It is almost always fatal with a Japanese maple, whether it be very rapidly or lingering through the rest of the season. Larger, North American maple species can often withstand the full effect and just suffer partial dieback.

Oof thanks both of you, I was holding out hope it wasn’t. Only option is removal?

Yes. Although I wouldn't necessarily be in a rush to do so. First, there is no pressing reason for removal (other than it looks bad) and second, it could possibly look different in a month or six weeks if VW is not the cause.

If/when you remove, do not plant another VW susceptible species in the immediate area.

Thanks a ton! I’ll wait a bit and take care of it in the meantime :)