Manga artist Leiji Matsumoto poses for portraits at the 70th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Sept 3, 2013. (PHOTO / AP)

TOKYO - Leiji Matsumoto, the Japanese manga and anime author known internationally as a creator of the 1970s TV series Space Battleship Yamato, has died aged 85, his office said on Monday.

Matsumoto gained global fame as director of the series, which was titled Star Blazers in the United States.

Other well-known works include the manga series Galaxy Express 999, which was also turned into a popular anime series.

He is the recipient of several awards from the Japanese government, as well as the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters from the French government.

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Matsumoto, who started drawing at the age of six, died of heart failure on Feb 13 in Tokyo, Japanese media reported.