#Namco Pixel Artist Hiroshi “Mr. Dotman” Ono Passes Away at 64

Hiroshi Ono was one of Namco’s original pixel artists, known for working on arcade games ranging from Xevious to Galaga, Dig Dug, and beyond. Sadly, Ono passed away on October 16 at the age of 64. 

Ono had been dealing with autoimmune hepatitis and had previously been hospitalized for the chronic liver disease, which causes inflammation and liver damage. Ono’s family and friends held a private funeral, and the official Team Dotman account requested that fans hold off on sending messages or gifts. 

The man who would come to be known as “The God of Pixel Art” and “Mr. Dotman” got his start at Namco as a graphic designer in 1979. In addition to working on the pixel art for some of the most famous games the company produced, he also designed many of the logos that would go on to become iconic fixtures of arcade history. 

Last month, after announcing that he was suffering from autoimmune hepatitis, a crowdfunding campaign launched in an effort to produce a documentary film covering Ono’s work over the years. While contractual obligations have made the campaign unable to fulfill some of the pledge tiers with special items crafted by Ono himself, the documentary has been fully funded, so hopefully we’ll see more on that soon.   

Source: Famitsu via Siliconera

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Joseph Luster is the Games and Web editor at Otaku USA Magazine. You can read his comics at subhumanzoids. Follow him on Twitter @Moldilox.