Yoshimitsu Banno passed away at age 86

Yoshimitsu Banno, best known for having directed the famous/infamously 1971 cult classic Godzilla vs Hedorah (The Smog Monster), has passed away at the age of 86 - he was the last living Director of the original Showa Era Godzilla films. Despite been dedicated to the memory of Eiji Tsubaraya (One of the 5 Godzilla Co Creators and later Creator or Ultraman), the film's poor performance on the box office prompted Tomoyuki Tanaka (one of the 5 co creators) to demote Banno from Director to Producer, and never allowed him to direct another Toho Film again. Banno's last work with Godzilla was co producer in the 2014 LP Godzilla