The animator, character designer and illustrator was battling amyloidosis, and passed on March 5th according to an official statement made on the Code Geass website today.
You've almost certainly seen his work, though his most notable credits as a character designer are Dirty Pair Flash, Betterman, Gun Sword and Code Geass. Most recently he worked as character animation director for the splendid Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway Flash.
Anime will be poorer for his loss, and we wish his friends and family our condolences.
