Famed manga artist and Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama has passed away. He was 68.

The news was broken early this morning in a public letter by Toriyama’s manga studio, Bird Studio. Bird revealed in a letter posted on the official Dragon Ball X account that Toriyama died on March 1 of acute subdural hematoma. A private funeral service was held, and the studio has asked fans to respect the privacy of Toriyama’s family. You can read the full letter below.

Dear Friends 

We are deeply saddened to inform you that Manga creator Akira Toriyama passed away on March 1st due to subdural hematoma. He was in age of 68.

It’s our deep regret that he still had several works in the middle of creation with great enthusiasm. Also, he would have many more things to achieve.

However, he has left many manga titles and works of art to this world. Thanks to the support of so many people around the world, he has been able to continues his creative activities for over 45 years. We hope that Akira Toriyama’s unique world of creation continues to be loved by everyone for a long time to come.

We inform you this sad news, with gratefulness for your kindness during his lifetime.

Funeral service was held with his family and very few relatives. Following his wishes for tranquility, we respectfully inform you that we would not accept flowers, condolences gifts, visiting, offerings and others. Also, we ask you to refrain from conducting interviews with his family.

Future plan for commemorate gathering is not decided, we will let you know when it’s confirmed.We deeply thank you for your understanding and support as always.

Akira Toriyama was born in 1955 and became a manga artist at 23. Primarily known for his works in Weekly Shōnen Jump for works such as Dr. Slump, his biggest claim to fame would be Dragon Ball. First published in 1983, Dragon Ball would explode into a cultural phenomenon, spawning a massively popular multimedia franchise with multiple manga volumes, a successful long-running anime, several films, and a litany of merchandise. Dragon Ball has become one of the most influential mangas of all time and would also become a massive fixture in video games, with dozens of titles across a variety of platforms. 

Upcoming games based on Toryiama’s work include Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, the next entry in the Budakai Tenkaichi series, and Sand Land, an action RPG launching on April 26 based on his 2000 manga. 

Toryiama would also lend his distinct art style to video games such as the Dragon Quest series, Chrono Trigger, and Blue Dragon. Six years ago, Game Informer editors current and former got together to talk about Toriyama’s influence on the game industry. You can watch that video here.

Game Informer extends its condolences to Toriyama’s family and loved ones.

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