'Naruto: Shippuden' director Yuji Yanase dies at 59

Veteran anime director Yuji Yanase, who acted as a key animator or episode director on major franchises such as 'Naruto: Shippuden', 'Death Note', and 'Akira', passed away at the age of 59. His family held a private funeral on August 22 after he died of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Yuji was concurrently directing two anime series when he passed away.