“Mermaid Legend” director Toshiharu Ikeda dies at 59

Movie director Toshiharu Ikeda has passed away at the age of 59. According to authorities in Ise-Shima, Mie, it has been verified that Ikeda recently committed suicide by drowning. The exact date of his death has not been reported.

Ikeda was born on February 23, 1951. He graduated from the literature department at Waseda University in 1974, but while he was a student he started out his film career as an assistant director with management and production agency Ishihara Pro. After graduating, he joined Nikkatsu, at the same time as director Kichitaro Negishi (“Viyon no Tsuma”).

In 1980, Ikeda made his debut as a director with “Sukeban Mafia.” His later films included the award-winning “Ningyo Densetsu” (“Mermaid Legend”) in 1984 and, most recently, “Aki Fukaki” in 2008.

Ikeda had reportedly been dealing with depression for years. He had started a Twitter account, but his last update was on September 24 of last year.

Source:
Eiga.com