Anime director, producer, innovator, and Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata has passed away on April 5th, newspapers have reported. He was 82. Different sources cite heart problems or lung cancer as the reason of death. Studio Ghibli is yet to confirm the reason. However, it is known that he had been frequently hospitalized since last summer.

The 2013 animation ‘The Tale of the Princess Kaguya’, a breathtakingly beautiful film animated to look like a painting, remained Takahata’s last work. He is best known for the 1988 film ‘Grave of the Fireflies’, a depiction of two orphans in second world war Japan.  His other work include films like ‘Pom Poko’ and TV series ‘Heidi: A Girl of the Alps’.

(Via Variety, Hollywoord Reporter, The Guardian)