Anime director Satoshi Kon dies at age 47

Twitter has been buzzing with news that Satoshi Kon, director of Perfect Blue, Millenium Actress and Paprika, has died of cancer at the age of 47.

Madhouse studio founder Masao Maruyama confirmed that a major filmmaker had passed away, but did not provide a name. News of Satoshi Kon’s death spread rapidly via the microblogging service, with the top retweeted comment:

It’s not that anime will never be the same with Satoshi Kon gone. It’s now much more likely that anime will always be the same.

Owing to time differences between the US and Japan, official confirmation is still pending, but Cinematical says the acclaimed director has passed, adding:

Kon was a brilliant filmmaker. His works are vital and revolutionary for their visions of lucid dreaming and the way psychosis bleeds over into the waking world. If he has indeed died, the world has lost a bright artist in the prime of his career.