Comedian and actor Itsuji Itao (46) suffered a tragic loss on Sunday night, when his young daughter suddenly passed away. She would have turned two years old this September.

Itao has been married since 1998. In 2007, his wife gave birth to their only daughter. Itao was widely known as a devoted father, and the girl's picture was even used on the cover of an essay book that Itao published last year.

On Sunday night, at around 11:00pm, Itao's daughter suddenly lost consciousness. She was rushed to a nearby hospital but could not be saved. The cause of death is unknown.

Just seven hours earlier, Itao had cheerfully attended an event for "Minami no Shima no Furimun," the first movie directed by comedian Gori. Despite the unfortunate event, Itao was at work again on Monday night, showing up for filming of the Fuji TV drama series "Kyumei Byoto 24 Ji."