Prolific voice actor Keiji Fujiwara, best known as Hunter x Hunter's Leorio Paladiknight and Fullmetal Alchemist's Maes Hughes, died on Sunday due to cancer. He was 55 years old.

According to a post on his talent management company Air Agency's official website, Fujiwara had been fighting cancer for some time. The wake ceremony and funeral were held by his relatives only.

Born in Tokyo in 1964, Fujiwara spent most of his childhood in the Iwate Prefecture. He graduated from Senshu Daigaku Kitakami High School and went back to Tokyo to attend Bungakuza Theater Research Institute. He performed in many theatre troupes, notably Kiyama Office, during the 1980s.

Fujiwara debuted as a voice actor with RPG Densetsu Hepoi at talent agency Ken Production in the early 90s and first appeared as a regular in Yokoyama Mitsuteru Sangokushi (Romance of the Three Kingdoms). He landed his breakthrough role, Shinnosuke's father Hiroshi Nohara in Crayon Shin-chan, in 1992. Fujiwara left Ken Production in 2006 and founded Air Agency. He also began lecturing at Japan Newart College in 2008.

In August 2016, he took a break from his work to receive medical treatment for an unspecified illness, but resumed voice acting the following June while taking his health into consideration. During his hiatus, Toshiyuki Morikawa took over his role as Hiroshi Nohara in Crayon Shin-chan.

Source: Oricon News