Satoshi Kon, R.I.P.
Sad news struck hard yesterday as it was revealed that legendary anime director Satoshi Kon had passed away at the young age of 46. It was revealed that Kon had been secretly been dealing with pancreatic cancer for the past several months.
It is a great & serious loss not just for the anime community, but for lovers of cinema as well. Kon was one of the few anime directors that was able to create amazing, beautiful, award-worthy serious works of art that could truly be appreciated by all. His target audience was not otaku, but all of humanity (& more often than not, adults & not children). His famous works include Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, Paprika, & the anime series Paranoia Agent. It is truly a sad loss. Kon was one of the few who could show the world that anime can be more than a fad filled with naked lolis, large-chested school girls, & collectible monsters. He showed us all what beautiful & wonderful things the genre could be capable of. Kon left one last film unfinished- Yume-Miru Kikai, which is still expected to get released in the near future.
Kon wrote a lengthy final message to the world shortly before his time came. It was posted in its original Japanese on his official website shortly after he passed away, which has been translated into English as well. He concluded his message with the following heart-wrenching goodbye:
With feelings of gratitude for all that is good in this world, I put down my pen.
Well, I'll be leaving now.
Satoshi Kon
Source: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-08-25/director-satoshi-kon-wife-writes-about-his-passing