Noted and influential anime director Satoshi Kon, known for such films as Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers and Millennium Actress, has passed away at the age of 47, per this article from the Anime News Network.
Kon’s passing was announced in a forum post by Jim Vowles, a member of the board of directors of Otakorp, the administrators of the Otakon anime convention. It was then confirmed by Masao Maruyama, founder of the noted anime studio Madhouse, with whom Kon made most of his works.
Maruyama had announced in a Twitter post that an important Madhouse director had suddenly passed away, but declined to name the person in question at the time.