@1234muse: Uhhh... pretty sure the author isn't dead, he just quit the manga business.
From what I understand, he suffered some severe hand cramps in the late-80s which caused him to take a break from manga. However, he did return in 1996 and drew a 5-volume series, "Rusalka Will Not Return".
However, his return was short-lived, as he only worked on one more series after that, called "Nanboyanen", which came out in 1999.
So... what happened to him after that?
Well, according to Wikipedia, in 2001 he became a lecturer at Nihon Kogakuin College in Hachijoji, and later, in 2005, he became a professor at Tokai University in Tokyo.
Kind of a shame that he isn't still producing manga, but I suppose I can understand it if it's related to some kind of medical issue.
Also, he's in his 70s now, so... maybe it's best that he just takes it easy, right?
I suppose I'm more curious to know which courses he taught/teaches at those schools, and also... are there any prolific manga artists nowadays who have studied under him?