Isao Takahata, the man who co-founded Studio Ghibli with Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki, has passed away in a Japanese hospital after a reported struggle with a heart condition. He was 82.
"[His death] is true, but we can't comment further as we are trying to confirm some facts around it," a Studio Ghibli spokesperson said when confirming the sad news.
Takahata's most recent film, 2013's The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, was nominated for an Academy Award, but it was probably 1988's Grave of the Fireflies, a poignant film set during WW2, that was his most renowned work.
Takahata began his career in animation at Toei Studio back in 1959, and there he met Hayao Miyazaki. Together with Toshio Suzuki they co-founded Studio Ghibli back in 1985, and the rest, as they say, is history.