The production company Toei announced that the venerated anime and manga creator Leiji Matsumoto, who was best known for creating Space Battleship Yamato and Galaxy Express 999, passed away on February 13 due to acute heart failure.
Matsumoto was 85 years of age, and his immediate family held a private service with his manga creator wife, Miyako Maki as the chief mourner.
He was born in Kurume, Fukuoka prefecture, on January 25, 1938. During his childhood, Matsumoto used to watch several American cartoons and read comics that his father brought him from the States who was a test pilot for the Japanese Imperial Army.
He channelled his interest in cartoons and illustrations by forming a manga doujinshi group in elementary school. He moved to Tokyo in 1953 to pursue a career in manga at the age of 18 after graduating high school.
His debut work was Mitsubachi no Boken, a manga he wrote while finishing high school. Since then, he has created many more well-known anime and manga.
His most notable works include Space Battleship Yamato, Captain Harlock, Galaxy Express 999, Queen Emeraldas, and many more. His work inspired generations of artists and illustrators around the world, and the influence of his work can be seen in several anime and manga.
In 2010, he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette, for his work promoting Japanese culture overseas, and was knighted by the French government in 2013 in honor of his work.
Source: NHK
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