Renowned mecha animator, Kunihiro Abe, died last Wednesday from a disease not specified. His death was announced by his wife Ayumi Abe and daughter via their Twitter accounts. He was 50 years old. Shown is the final illustration done by Abe, which was given to his daughter during her birthday this July. It was his favorite, too.

Kunihiro Abe was well-known for his work with mecha animation, especially with Sunrise's Gundam franchise, among many other projects throughout his career. Fellow animator and director, Kou Matsuo, said in a statement that Abe possessed the exceptional skill to draw both mecha and human character, allowing the addition of diverse and dynamic scenes in their projects. The most notable of which is during the finale of the Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation - Heir to the Stars, where Abe was able to animate realistic parachute physics upon a bluff request by director Yoshiyuki Tomino.

Source: Ayumi Abe's Twiter

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