Japanese voice actor Kosuke Takeuchi has passed away at the age of 45, his agency KeKKe Corporation confirmed on their official website. According to the update, he passed away on June 8 due to illness. His funeral will be only attended by close relatives.
The actor was active on Twitter, where he posted on June 7 complaining of abdominal pain. “I’m afraid I’m going to pass out or something,” he tweeted.
Kosuke Takeuchi has voiced characters in several anime series, most notably Hikaru Amane in The Prince of Tennis series. Other roles include Shun Kakei and Harao Kiminari in Eyeshield 21, Tesshin in Ginga Densetsu Weed, Dragon Ryu in Duel Masters Victory, and Mitsuo Mishima in Between the Sky and Sea. Prior to his voice acting career, Takeuchi used to be a comedian alongside Yakkun Sakurazuka under the duo name Abare Nunchaku.
In light of the news, the official Twitter account of The Prince of Tennis series posted expressing deepest sympathies and condolences. The series, which is getting a new installment this July, also postponed its weekly live stream event to Saturday, June 18.
Source: KeKKe Corporation Website, Comic Natalie
Featured image (right): Prince of Tennis, ©Takeshi Konomi TK WORKS / Shueisha
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