Shin-Chan Creator Yoshito Usui, R.I.P.
On the morning of Friday September 11, the creator of the immensely popular "Crayon Shin-chan" manga, 51 year-old Yoshito Usui, left his home to go on a day-long hike in the mountainous Gunma Prefecture. Several days later, police broke the news that his family reported he never returned home from his trip or responded to any phone calls. His publisher also said he hadn't been in touch for several days, & were becoming very worried. Nearly a week after he had gone missing, police were able to determine that his cellphone was last detected on Monday in the town of Karuizawa, located in the mountain region 60 miles from his home.
On Saturday the 20th, over a week after Usui's disappearance, the remains of a male body was found in the Gunma Prefecture mountains underneath the 120 meter (~400 feet) tall Tomoiwa Cliff. While the body was decomposed too much to tell by sight who the individual was, the clothes were said to resemble Usui's style. The next day, authorities were able to determine that the body was indeed him. His various items, including cellphone, had scattered 50 meters from him, indicating that he fell off the tall cliff to his death.
Manga Town magazine confirmed that Usui had submitted two more chapters of the "Shin-chan" manga before leaving his home that faithful day, leaving enough material behind to fill the December 2009 issue which goes on sale in November. TV Asahi has said the future of the anime series, one of the most watched anime in all of Japan since it began nearly 20 years ago, is yet to be determined. The "Shin-Chan" anime was currently in the middle of taking a break (as long running series usually do) & was to return on October 16. It's now currently unknown if the series will air that day.
Horribly sad news. May he rest in peace.
Source: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-09-20/crayon-shin-chan-to-continue-in-mag-until-november