The U.S. military news website Stars and Stripes reported on October 11 that Yu-Gi-Oh! creator Kazuki Takahashi died while attempting to aid in the rescue of three people who were caught in a riptide.

As Stars and Stripes details, Major Robert Bourgeau, a deputy operations officer for the 10th Support Group at Torii Station and a scuba diving instructor, was at Okinawa’s Mermaid’s Grotto with two students when he noticed a Japanese woman calling for help. The woman’s 11-year-old daughter and a U.S soldier had been caught in a riptide about 100 yards from shore. While rescuing the girl, Bourgeau found that the woman herself had been dragged in as well.

Apparently, the 60-year-old Takahashi had attempted to aid Bourgeau in his rescue attempt. While Bourgeau didn’t notice Takahashi during the event, his students saw the manga artist several times until he disappeared. Bourgeau noted that the “conditions were really, really rough.” 

Stars and Stripes reported that although Takahashi’s actions weren’t confirmed by the Coast Guard spokesman, they were mentioned in multiple sworn witness statements from the U.S. Army.

Takahashi was found with snorkeling gear on the coast of Okinawa’s Nago City on July 6. He was later identified on July 7. Bourgeau, who received a Soldier’s Medal nomination for the rescue, called Takahashi a “hero” who “died trying to save someone else.”

Source: Stars and Stripes