TOKYO -- Manga artist Leiji Matsumoto, known for such works as "Space Battleship Yamato" and "Galaxy Express 999," died of acute heart failure at a Tokyo hospital on the morning of Feb. 13 at the age of 85. His given name was Akira, but he used the pen name Leiji.
Born in the western Japanese prefecture of Fukuoka, Matsumoto debuted with a manga titled "Mitsubachi no Boken" (Adventures of a Honeybee). He went on to cement his reputation with "Otoko Oidon" in 1971. "Space Battleship Yamato," a TV anime series that was first broadcast in 1974, was made into a film that went on to become a hit, helping drive the 1970s anime fad in Japan. The TV series was adapted in the U.S. as "Star Blazers" and was also popular there.
