Taiki Matsuno, a Japanese actor known primarily for his many anime and video game voice-overs as well as being the local dub voice of SpongeBob in SpongeBob SquarePants, died last Wednesday, June 26 from a cerebral hemorrhage. The news of the 56-year-old performer’s passing was shared by his home studio, Aoni Productions.
“We would like to express our deepest gratitude for the kindness shown to us [by Matsuno] during his lifetime,” the company wrote in a brief statement.
Matsuno was born October 16, 1967 in Shinagawa, Tokyo. His earliest roles included the title role in Knack Productions’ The Adventures of the Little Prince (1978) and Yuichiro in Amazing Sarutobi (1982).
Through the 1990s, he played Arthur Jung in Mobile Suit Gundam F91, Pegasus/Helios in Sailor Moon SuperS, Miguel in The Vision of Escaflowne, roles in Akazukin Chacha, Rurouni Kenshin, Moomin, Sakura Wars, One Piece: The Movie and more, as well as originating the anime version of Hajime Kindaichi in The File of Young Kindaichi franchise.
The new millennium brought more memorable characters in Matsuno’s repertoire, such as Kouga in Inuyasha, Wisdom in Pretty Cure as well as Tarte in Fresh Pretty Cure, Gazai Gamma in Kamen Rider Ghost, Agumon in the Digimon franchise, Laffitte in One Piece and Ling Tong in the Dynasty Warriors video games.
According to Aoni, Matsuno will receive a private funeral for close relatives.
[Sources: Aoni Prod. / Oricon via Anime News Network, IMDb]
