Taiki Matsuno, One Piece and Inuyasha Star, Dies at 56

Today, the anime industry is mourning the loss of a beloved star. Reports from Japan have confirmed the death of Taiki Matsuno. The prolific voice actor died on June 26 at the age of 56.

According to reports, Matsuno died in Japan after suffering from a cerebral hemorrhage. No other information has been shared about the actor's passing at this time. In honor of the actor's legacy, fans are taking time to tribute Matsuno online as he oversaw plenty of popular characters during his career.

As for the actor's best-known roles, Matsuno can be heard as Kona in Inuyasha , and he did a number of voices on One Piece . Matsuno's biggest role in One Piece is undoubtedly Lafitte of the Blackbeard Pirates, but he also voiced characters like Hildon and Canpacino.

Of course, Matsuno's work in anime began long before Inuyasha's 2001 premiere. He began voice acting in 1978 with The Adventures of the Little Prince . Matsuno went on to tackle projects like Sailor Moon SuperS, Rurouni Kenshin, Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, Boogiepop Phantom, Digimon , and more.

Our thoughts are with Matsuno's loved ones during this time. May he rest in peace.