Creator of Space Battleship Yamato and Galaxy Express 999, Leiji Matsumoto passed away of acute heart failure on February 13 at the age of 85, according to Oricon News.

Born on January 25, 1938, Leiji Matsumoto stated drawing when he was a child. At the age of 16, he debuted as a manga artist with Michibachi no Boken ("Honeybee's Adventure"). After graduating from high school, he rose to fame as a shojo manga creator. He then started to create seinen manga since 1968, with notable works including Space Battleship Yamato, Galaxy Express 999, Queen Millennia, and so on.