Mangaka Iku Oyamada has died at the age of 59. The artist best known for his 1980 mangawas found dead in his home in Komoro, Nagano Prefecture, on March 23. Authorities said that Oyamada had been ill, but no further details on the cause of death was revealed.Oyamada was the winner of the 4th Shougakukan Newcomer Comic Grand Prize with the work. He debuted as a mangaka in 1979 with, which was published under his real name Katsuhisa Tagami. Later that year, he took up the pen name Iku Oyamada when drawing the series, which received an honorable mention in the 13th Weekly Shounen Champion Newcomer Manga Prize.Between 1980 and 1982, Oyamada drew the slice-of-life manga(pictured), which follows middle schooler Haru Kashiwagi and is set in Oyamada's hometown of Komoro. The series was revived with a one-shot published in 2009 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Weekly Shounen Champion.Other works include the 1987 manga, which focused on social and environmental issues through the eyes of a schoolboy. Oyamada also drew horror manga in the 1990s.Source: Comic Natalie