"Galaxy Express 999" manga artist Leiji Matsumoto dies at 85

Leiji Matsumoto, a famed Japanese cartoonist known for his works "Galaxy Express 999" and "Space Battleship Yamato," has died of acute heart failure, his production studio said Monday. He was 85. The manga artist, who also created "Space Pirate Captain Harlock," died at a Tokyo hospital on Feb. 13, Studio Leijisha said. Many of his works were adapted into anime television series that became popular at home and abroad. "Space Battleship Yamato," a story depicting an uncharted cosmic voyage in the 22nd century aboard a spaceship modeled off the World War II Imperial Japanese Navy of the same name, was made into a TV series and broadcast from 1974 to 1975. Hailing from Fukuoka Prefecture in southwestern Japan, Matsumoto was one of the first manga artists whose manga and animation work attracted fans overseas.