Voice actor Hikaru Tanaka announced on his X (formerly Twitter) account that his mother, voice actress Atsuko Tanaka has died on Tuesday, after one year of fighting an unspecified illness. She was 61.
In the statement posted by Hikaru, he did not reveal the specific illness of his mother, in accordance to her wishes, but stated that she lived a serious, dignified, and a little playful life, during the almost one year that Atsuko was fighting her illness.
Atsuko and Hikaru's mother-son relationship was never revealed in public, and Hikaru stated that it is with great regret that he has to reveal their relationship in this way.
Hikaru also thanked Atsuko's fans who loved her, and everyone in the industry who took care of her. He asked the people that they do not forget the works and characters that Atsuko had poured so much love into, and that they do not forget the voice actress that is Atsuko Tanaka.
Atsuko was born on November 14, 1962 in Gunma Prefecture. She is best known as Motoko Kusanagi in the Ghost in the Shell franchise, Harumi Kiyama in A Certain Scientific Railgun, Carmilla in Fate/Grand Carnival, and Caster in the Fate/stay night series, among others.
Her more recent roles include Hanami in Jujutsu Kaisen, Flamme in Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Rose in The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic, and Ōmurasaki no Omae in YATAGARASU: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master, among others.
Atsuko also voiced game characters such as Poison in Street Fighter III, Street Fighter V, and Street Fighter X Tekken; Layla Hassan in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Assassin's Creed Origins, and Assassin's Creed Valhalla; Jerri in Persona 5 Tactica, Gaby in Shin Megami Tensei IV, and Impa in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.
Source: Hikaru Tanaka's X/Twitter account