Ai Iijima Dead at 36

Retired Japanese celebrity Ai Iijima (real name Matsue Okubo) was found dead in her apartment on Sunday afternoon. Reportedly Iijima had already been dead for several days when her body was found. The exact time and cause of her death are currently unknown.

Iijima launched her career as an adult video actress in 1992. She left the adult film industry in 1993, successfully transitioning into mainstream acting and singing, and later writing. Iijima co-created the three-volume Time Traveler Ai manga series with artist Takeshi Takebayashi in 2000. The manga about a fictional version of Ai Iijima having adventures through time travel was licensed and published in English by Central Park Media in 1999. Iijima retired from the entertainment industry in March 2007, but continued to remain in public awareness through her popular blog, which was updated as recently as earlier this month.

Source: Tokyograph & Anime News Network